Green Spaces May Improve Health

If you find the park or even your backyard refreshing, you’re not alone. And the benefits may be stronger than you think.

If your world is all concrete and steel, could be more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, as well as other health problems. Dutch researchers studied more than 300,000 Dutch adults and children, and discovered that those living close to more green spaces had slightly lower rates of different health conditions like asthma, heart disease, migraine, diabetes, and chronic neck and back pain.

The strongest health association was between lack of green spaces and people suffering from depression and anxiety. Researchers found that people living in areas with less green space were more likely to suffer from depression, suggesting that green space is very important in urban life. The research findings have been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

If you live in a big city, how often do you seek out green spaces?

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