Environment/Climate Change
Comparative Effect of Subjective and Objective Green Space on Children’s Mental Health and Cognitive Function Brooke Ury* Brooke Ury Jue Yang Samantha R. Rosenthal David H. Barker John E. McGeary Shira I. Dunsiger Diana S. Grigsby-Toussaint
Previous literature has linked green space exposure to improved mental health and cognitive function outcomes in children, but these studies vary in their measurements of green space. We examined the associations between subjective and objective green space and the ability of these measures to predict mental health outcomes.
Data came from the ongoing cross-sectional study Project Green Space, Sleep, and Mental Health (G-SPACE) in Rhode Island, United States. Survey data provided insights into subjective green space and mental health, while GPS data collected over 7-days objectively captured individual green space exposure in real-time. To determine the associations between green space measures, Pearson’s correlation coefficients and t-tests were used. Based on green space exposure, multivariate logistic regression models predicted binary health outcomes, i.e., below or above normal limits for positive affect, anger, stress, and cognitive function.
Eighty percent of the subjective green space measures were significantly positively correlated with objective green space, including caregiver-reported weekly visits to green space, perceived sufficiency, and perceived quality of green space (rs 0.347 to 0.571 and p-values < 0.01). Green space and mental health outcomes were generally positively correlated, with green space and cognitive function (p = 0.016) and perceived green space quality and stress (p = 0.025) being statistically significant.
Caregiver green space perception and caregiver-reported green space are important indicators of objective green space exposure in children and highlight the differential green space needs of pediatric populations. Additional research is required to assess the ability of green space measures to predict health outcomes.
