relationships between green space quantity and perceived stress and mental wellbeing in deprived...
DESCRIPTION
Presentation on the main findings of the GreenHealth (Green Health) Household Survey study, presented at the Environmental Design Research Association 'Healthy and Healing Places' conference (EDRA 44, Providence, Rhode Island, USA), May 2013.TRANSCRIPT
Relationships between green space quantity and perceived stress and mental wellbeing in deprived
urban communities in Scotland
Lynette Robertson, Catharine Ward Thompson, Jenny Roe, Peter Aspinall, Rich Mitchell, David Miller
Outline • Introduction
– Background– The GreenHealth Project– Research Questions
• Methodology– Study Design
– Data Analysis
• Results– Green Space Quantity – View to Green Space from Home
• Summary• Conclusions
Background
Urban Green Space and Health
Higher levels of residential green space have been associated with lower mortality rates, lower blood pressure and obesity levels,
and better self‐perceived health (e.g. Maas et al, 2006).
Urban Green Space and Health
Urban green space is more closely associated with health for those living in poverty/deprivation (e.g. Mitchell & Popham, 2008)
Deprivation and Health in Scotland
Deprivation/inequality is a significant problem in Scotland,
and is not improving
Deprivation and Health in Scotland
Deprivation/inequality is a significant problem in Scotland,
and is not improving
UK Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) study: Poverty in Scotland at worst levels in 30 years ‐ 1/3 of population living in ‘multiple deprivation’ (PSE UK, 2013)
Deprivation and Health in Scotland
Deprivation/inequality is a significant problem in Scotland,
and is not improving
UK Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) study: Poverty in Scotland at worst levels in 30 years ‐ 1/3 of population living in ‘multiple deprivation’ (PSE UK, 2013)
Still the ‘Sick man of Europe’ (Glasgow Centre for Population
Health, 2012)
Deprivation and Health in Scotland
Image: Greenspace Scotland
Image: Greenspace Scotland
GreenHealth
• ‘The contribution of green and open space in public health and well‐being’
• Funded by the Scottish Government
• April 2008 – March 2012 (2013)
• Led by The James Hutton Institute
www.hutton.ac.uk/projects/green‐healthwww.greenspacescotland.org.uk/greenhealth‐conference
Green Health: OPENspace & Heriot Watt
• Examined the relationship between quantity, quality and accessibility of green space and health and wellbeing in deprived urban communities
Green Health: OPENspace & Heriot Watt
• Examined the relationship between quantity, quality and accessibility of green space and health and wellbeing in deprived urban communities
• Two main studies1. Cortisol and green space quantity
(Ward Thompson et al; Roe et al)
Green Health: OPENspace & Heriot Watt
• Examined the relationship between quantity, quality and accessibility of green space and health and wellbeing in deprived urban communities
• Two main studies1. Cortisol and green space quantity
(Ward Thompson et al; Roe et al)2. Household Survey
o Perceived health and wellbeing and green space quantity and quality
o Green space accessibility and use (including Conjoint analysis)
o Perceptions of green space
Household Survey Study: Research Questions
1. Is there a relationship between the amount of green space in the residential environment and perceived stress and mental wellbeing?
Household Survey Study: Research Questions
1. Is there a relationship between the amount of green space in the residential environment and perceived stress and mental wellbeing?
2. Is there a link between visual access to green space and perceived health and wellbeing?
Methodology
Study Design
• Cross‐sectional CAPI‐administered household questionnaire, June 2010
• Four deprived urban neighbourhoods, selected using CarstairsDeprivation Index and amount of green space coverage (low and high)– Edinburgh: Pilton & Craigmillar– Dundee: Stobswell & Fintry
• All residents > 16 years (Included people in work, cortisol study = unemployed only)
• Approximately 100 participants from each site (n = 406)
Study Design
• Cross‐sectional CAPI‐administered household questionnaire, June 2010
• Four deprived urban neighbourhoods, selected using CarstairsDeprivation Index and amount of green space coverage (low and high)– Edinburgh: Pilton & Craigmillar– Dundee: Stobswell & Fintry
• All residents > 16 years (Included people in work, cortisol study = unemployed only)
• Approximately 100 participants from each site (n = 406)
Study Design
• Cross‐sectional CAPI‐administered household questionnaire, June 2010
• Four deprived urban neighbourhoods, selected using CarstairsDeprivation Index and amount of green space coverage (low and high)– Edinburgh: Pilton & Craigmillar– Dundee: Stobswell & Fintry
• All residents > 16 years (Included people in work, cortisol study = unemployed only)
• Approximately 100 participants from each site (n = 406)
Study Design
• Cross‐sectional CAPI‐administered household questionnaire, June 2010
• Four deprived urban neighbourhoods, selected using CarstairsDeprivation Index and amount of green space coverage (low and high)– Edinburgh: Pilton & Craigmillar– Dundee: Stobswell & Fintry
• All residents > 16 years (Included people in work, cortisol study = unemployed only)
• Approximately 100 participants from each site (n = 406)
Questionnaire Data
• Health and wellbeing measures – Perceived Stress Scale, PSS (Cohen & Williamson, 1988)) – Mental Wellbeing, SWEMWBS ‐ Short Warwick‐Edinburgh Mental
Wellbeing Scale(Steward‐Brown et al., 2009)– Physical Activity – General Health– Life Satisfaction
• Green space use (frequency, purpose…)
• Green space accessibility (distance, views)
• Green space perceptions (amount, quality, safety…)
• Other e.g. Life Event, Life Conditions
• Demographics (age, work status etc.)
Questionnaire Data
• Health and wellbeing measures – Perceived Stress Scale, PSS (Cohen & Williamson, 1988)) – Mental Wellbeing, SWEMWBS ‐ Short Warwick‐Edinburgh Mental
Wellbeing Scale(Steward‐Brown et al., 2009)– Physical Activity – General Health– Life Satisfaction
• Green space use (frequency, purpose…)
• Green space accessibility (distance, views)
• Green space perceptions (amount, quality, safety…)
• Other e.g. Life Event, Life Conditions
• Demographics (age, work status etc.)
Green Space Quantity Data (GIS)
GS Quantity (% unit area)
WardHutton Land Use ClassZone
Green Space Quantity: (1) Ward
• UK CAS (Electoral District) Unit
• Parks, woodlands, scrub + other natural environments; NOprivate gardens
• Area– Min = 57 ha– Max = 689 ha– Median = 126 ha (IQR =
316)
Green Space Quantity: (2) Zone
• Scottish ‘Data Zone’ Unit
• GS = as Ward (Parks, woodlands, scrub + other natural environments)i. No private gardensii. With gardens
• Area– Min = 5 ha– Max = 445 ha– Median = 13 ha (IQR =
220)
• Also 300m radius buffer = 28 ha
Green Space Quantity: (3) Hutton Land Use Class (HLUC)
• Scotland Green Space Map Typologies (‘PAN65’)
• Public open space, gardens, roadside trees and grassi. With woodlandsii. No woodlands
• Areal units– Zone– 300m radius buffer
View to Green space from the home
• Three point ordinal scale:– No view– Partial view– Full view
• Recorded for each floor/level of the home
Data Analysis• Correlation and Multiple Linear Regression (Heirarchical,
blocked)– Each green space measure
Data Analysis• Correlation and Multiple Linear Regression (Heirarchical,
blocked)– Each green space measure – Controlling for:
• Income (‘Income Coping’ – 4 point scale)• Deprivation (Carstairs Index)• Physical Activity ‐ with and without
Data Analysis• Correlation and Multiple Linear Regression (Heirarchical,
blocked)– Each green space measure – Controlling for:
• Income (‘Income Coping’ – 4 point scale)• Deprivation (Carstairs Index)• Physical Activity ‐ with and without
• Sub‐groups:– Gender
Data Analysis• Correlation and Multiple Linear Regression (Heirarchical,
blocked)– Each green space measure – Controlling for:
• Income (‘Income Coping’ – 4 point scale)• Deprivation (Carstairs Index)• Physical Activity ‐ with and without
• Sub‐groups:– Gender– ‘At home more’, identified according to Work Status:
i. Looking after the home/familyii. Retirediii. Long term sick or disabled
Results
Perceived stress (PSS) at each site
Mental wellbeing (SWEMBS) at each site
Sample Characteristics
• n = 305 (Pilton, Stobswell & Fintry; Craigmillar removed)
• Ageo 16 – 87 yearso Mean = 43.7 years (SD = 17.1)
• Gender: 136 male (44.6%), 169 female (55.4%)
• Ethnicity: White ‐ 96.1% Scottish, 1.6% other UK, 2.3% non‐UK
• Income Copingo Very difficult = 6.6%o Difficult = 27.5%o Coping = 48.9%o Comfortable = 13.8%
Green Space Quantity
Research Question 1
Is there a relationship between the amount of green space in the residential environment and perceived stress and mental wellbeing?
Perceived Stress (PSS): was green space quantity a significant predictor?(i) Analysis by Gender
Perceived Stress (PSS): was green space quantity a significant predictor? (ii) At Home More Sub‐group, by Gender
Perceived Stress and Green Space Quantity: At Home More sub‐group
Men: n = 22 (Δr2 = 0.567, p < 0.01)
Partial Regression Plots
Residuals of Y on the remaining explanatory variables vs residuals of the target explanatory variable on the remaining explanatory variables
Partial Regression Plots
Residuals of Y on the remaining explanatory variables vs residuals of the target explanatory variable on the remaining explanatory variables
Moya‐Laraño & Corcobado (2008) ‘Plotting partial correlation and regression in ecological studies’ [Web Ecology 8: 35–46]
o A more appropriate method for visualizing the true scatter of points around the partial regression line than plotting the dependent variable against the raw values of the independent variable
Partial Regression Plots
Residuals of Y on the remaining explanatory variables vs residuals of the target explanatory variable on the remaining explanatory variables
Moya‐Laraño & Corcobado (2008) ‘Plotting partial correlation and regression in ecological studies’ [Web Ecology 8: 35–46]
o A more appropriate method for visualizing the true scatter of points around the partial regression line than plotting the dependent variable against the raw values of the independent variable
o “Partial regression plots should be the ones displayed in publications because they accurately reflect the scatter of partial correlations”
Perceived Stress and Green Space Quantity: ‘At Home More’ sub‐group
Men: n = 22 (Δr2 = 0.567, p < 0.01)
Green space coverage: 26‐69 %Perceived stress: 2 – 18Work status: ‐ Retired 77%‐ Disabled or long‐term sick 23%
Perceived Stress and Green Space Quantity: ‘At Home More’ sub‐group
Men: n = 22 (Δr2 = 0.567, p < 0.01) Women: n = 43 (GS = n.s.)
Green space coverage: 26‐69 %Perceived stress: 2 – 18Work status: ‐ Retired 77%‐ Disabled or long‐term sick 23%
Green space coverage: 24 ‐ 68 %Perceived stress: 0 – 27Work status: ‐ Looking after home/family 41%‐ Retired 50%‐ Disabled or long‐term sick 9%
Perceived Stress and Green Space Quantity: Women At Home More
Women: n = 43 (GS = n.s.)Differences between groupso Escape stress (p=0.000)o Life conditions (p=0.005)o Life event (p=0.016,
could be a positive or negative event, but more events for the high stress‐high GS group)
o Affect of life event (p=0.062)
o GS Freq Summer (p=0.032)
o Years in neighbourhood (p=0.039)
Mental Wellbeing (SWEMWBS): was green space quantity a significant predictor? (i) Analysis by Gender
Mental Wellbeing (SWEMWBS): was green space quantity a significant predictor? (ii) At Home More Sub‐group, by Gender
Mental Wellbeing (SWEMWBS) and Green Space Quantity: At Home More sub‐group
Men: n = 22 (Δr2 = 0.08, p < 0.01) Women: n = 43 (GS = n.s.)
Green space coverage: 22 ‐ 69 %Mental Wellbeing: 19 ‐35Work status: ‐ Retired 77%‐ Disabled or long‐term sick 23%
Green space coverage: 22 ‐ 69 %Mental Wellbeing: 17 – 35Work status: ‐ Looking after home/family 41%‐ Retired 50%‐ Disabled or long‐term sick 9%
Research Question 2
Is there a link between visual access to green space from home and perceived health and wellbeing?
View to green space from the home
• Perceived stress – No significant association
(for any group)
View to green space from the home
• Perceived stress – No significant association
(for any group)
• Mental wellbeing– Significant inverse
association for women (r = ‐.114 , p < 0.05), but not for men
– Not a significant predictor
View to green space from the home
• Perceived stress – No significant association
(for any group)
• Mental wellbeing– Significant inverse
association for women (r = ‐.114 , p < 0.05), but not for men
– Not a significant predictor
• BUT, most participants had no view from their home…
View to green space
• Physical Activity– Significant positive
association for women at home more group (r = .263 , p < 0.05)
View to green space
• Physical Activity– Significant positive
association for women at home more group (r = .263, p < 0.05, n = 43)
– Women who had a partial or full view from their home were on average 10 times more active than those women with no view from their home
– Men: no difference, but n is small in comparison (n=22)
Summary• Green space quantity in the residential environment was linked
with perceived stress, and to a lesser extent mental wellbeing.
• The strength and direction of relationships varied by gender and likely amount of time spent at home– Men: lower perceived stress was associated with increasing
amounts of green space, particularly those likely to spend more time at home
– Women: the relationship between GS quantity and stress was more complicated for women than for men, with only some women showing the same patterns as men
• Having a view from the home was not associated with better perceived stress or mental wellbeing; however, most participants had no view.
Summary• Green space quantity in the residential environment was linked
with perceived stress, and to a lesser extent mental wellbeing.
• The strength and direction of relationships varied by gender and likely amount of time spent at home– Men: lower perceived stress was associated with increasing
amounts of green space, particularly those likely to spend more time at home
– Women: the relationship between GS quantity and stress was more complicated for women than for men, with only some women showing the same patterns as men
• Having a view from the home was not associated with better perceived stress or mental wellbeing; however, most participants had no view.
Summary• Green space quantity in the residential environment was linked
with perceived stress, and to a lesser extent mental wellbeing.
• The strength and direction of relationships varied by gender and likely amount of time spent at home– Men: lower perceived stress was associated with increasing
amounts of green space, particularly those likely to spend more time at home
– Women: the relationship between GS quantity and stress was more complicated for women than for men, with only some women showing the same patterns as men
• Having a view from the home was not associated with better perceived stress or mental wellbeing; however, most participants had no view.
Summary• Green space quantity in the residential environment was linked
with perceived stress, and to a lesser extent mental wellbeing.
• The strength and direction of relationships varied by gender and likely amount of time spent at home– Men: lower perceived stress was associated with increasing
amounts of green space, particularly those likely to spend more time at home
– Women: the relationship between GS quantity and perceived stress was more complicated for women than for men, with only some women showing the same patterns as men
• Having a view from the home was not associated with better perceived stress or mental wellbeing; however, most participants had no view.
Summary• Green space quantity in the residential environment was linked
with perceived stress, and to a lesser extent mental wellbeing.
• The strength and direction of relationships varied by gender and likely amount of time spent at home– Men: lower perceived stress was associated with increasing
amounts of green space, particularly those likely to spend more time at home
– Women: the relationship between GS quantity and perceived stress was more complicated for women than for men, with only some women showing the same patterns as men
• Having a view from the home was not associated with better perceived stress or mental wellbeing, but was associated with higher levels of physical activity.
ConclusionsGreen space in the residential environment is a factor contributing to the health and wellbeing of residents of deprived urban communities in Scotland, particularly those who are likely to spend more time in and around their neighbourhood.
ConclusionsIncreasing green space coverage in areas where there is little could reduce stress levels and increase wellbeing for some; but, other aspects of green space which impact on perceptions and use, such as quality and safety, must also be considered.
Image: Greenspace Scotland