More Green Space Linked to Fewer Preventable Deaths

Increasing green space by just 1 percent in deprived urban neighborhoods was associated with approximately 40 percent fewer preventable deaths in those areas, according to research published Tuesday in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
The authors suggested that investing in creating more green spaces, like parks, could help promote health in these areas.
“Spending time in natural environments helps people to recover from psycho-physiological stress and restore attention and energy in the case of mental fatigue,” the report’s authors wrote.
Their findings suggest that the average percentage of green space was highest in Wales at 45 percent, followed by Northern Ireland at 24 percent, England at 21 percent, and Scotland at 16 percent. In all four nations, urban areas had significantly less green space than rural areas.
Every 1 percent increase in green space was associated with a 37 percent reduction in annual preventable deaths in England. The same was true in Scotland. In Northern Ireland, the same increase resulted in a higher percentage, with 41 percent fewer deaths over a five-year period.
The researchers also emphasized a need for targeted interventions in more deprived urban areas, noting, “Studies have shown that GS (green space) brings about greater benefit to those of lower socioeconomic position than those who belong to the more privileged groups, particularly in mental health and social integration.”
While the study establishes a connection between increased green space and fewer preventable deaths, the researchers said they could not conclude that the relationship between green space and preventable deaths is causal. “It is conceivable that GS and preventable deaths are related through their relationships with other unobserved variables,” they wrote.