Mental health benefits of long-term exposure to residential green and blue spaces: a systematic review.
Many studies conducted during the last decade suggest the mental health benefits of green and blue spaces. We aimed to systematically review the available literature on the long-term mental health benefits of residential green and blue spaces by including studies that used standardized tools or objective measures of both the exposures and the outcomes of interest. We followed the PRISMA statement guidelines for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analysis. In total 28 studies were included in the systematic review. We found limited evidence for a causal relationship between surrounding greenness and mental health in adults, whereas the evidence was inadequate in children. The evidence was also inadequate for the other exposures evaluated (access to green spaces, quality of green spaces, and blue spaces) in both adults and children. The main limitation was the limited number of studies, together with the heterogeneity regarding exposure assessment. Given the increase in mental health problems and the current rapid urbanization worldwide, results of the present systematic review should be taken into account in future urban planning. However, further research is needed to provide more consistent evidence and more detailed information on the mechanisms and the characteristics of the green and blue spaces that promote better mental health. We provide recommendations for future studies in order to provide consistent and evidence-based recommendations for policy makers.
ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain. mgascon@creal.cat.|Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL). Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. mgascon@creal.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona 08036, Spain. mgascon@creal.cat.|Department of Genes and Environment, Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo 0403, Norway. mgascon@creal.cat.
Mireia
M
Gascon
Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL). Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. mtriguero@creal.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona 08036, Spain. mtriguero@creal.cat.
Margarita
M
Triguero-Mas
Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL). Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. dmartinez@creal.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona 08036, Spain. dmartinez@creal.cat.
David
D
Martínez
Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL). Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. pdadvand@creal.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona 08036, Spain. pdadvand@creal.cat.
Payam
P
Dadvand
Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL). Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. jforns@creal.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona 08036, Spain. jforns@creal.cat.|Department of Genes and Environment, Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo 0403, Norway. jforns@creal.cat.
Joan
J
Forns
ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain. antoni.plasencia@isglobal.org.
Antoni
A
Plasència
Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL). Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. mnieuwenhuijsen@creal.cat.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona 08036, Spain. mnieuwenhuijsen@creal.cat.
Mark J
MJ
Nieuwenhuijsen
D004777:Environment; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D014504:Urban Health