More Green Space Linked to Fewer Preventable Deaths

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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.

The UK study evaluated green spaces in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and found that the most deprived urban areas had the smallest amount.

Green Space Linked to Less Death and Illness

Spending time in green spaces such as parks, woodlands, and grasslands is linked to lower rates of death and illness and improved well-being. Cultivating these spaces also has environmental benefits, especially when the spaces are more wild and less manicured.

Research indicates that green space improves human health by providing space for physical activity, relaxation, and social connectedness. The authors referenced a 2019 European Environment Agency report stating that humans have an intrinsic need to be in nature.

“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.

In the new study, researchers pointed out that access to green space is generally poorer in deprived urban areas of Europe. However, there is a lack of data on the distribution of these spaces.

The researchers analyzed local authority data, national statistics, the Index of Multiple Deprivation, and national land survey data to assess the percentage of green space in urban and rural areas, population size and density, deprivation levels, and the number of deaths that could be avoided with effective public health interventions. The geographical areas studied included 6,791 in England, 410 in Wales, 1,279 in Scotland, and 890 in Northern Ireland.

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.

Wales was the only country to distribute green space evenly across neighborhoods with varying levels of deprivation.

Preventable Deaths Could Be Reduced by Nearly 40 Percent

According to researchers, preventable death refers to “causes of death that can be mainly avoided through effective public health and primary prevention interventions.” Examples include tuberculosis, ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, cancer (depending on type), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

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.

“With the known health benefits of green space, this discrepancy may help to explain the wide health inequalities in urban areas in which the poorest and most vulnerable are most impacted,” the researchers wrote in the study.

Study Limitations

It’s important to note that this was an observational study, which means it has limitations. For instance, it makes assumptions of social and financial sameness in the areas studied. It also used “land cover” data showing the visible surface of the land, such as crops, grass, broad-leaved forests, or built-up areas, instead of “land use” data.

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.