WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Green spaces are associated with fewer internalizing symptoms in early childhood, according to a study published online April 10. JAMA network open.
Nyssa Tow Goodman, Ph.D., of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues evaluated the association between residential green space and early internalizing (such as anxiety and depression) and externalizing ( They looked at symptoms (such as aggression and rule-breaking) in 2,103 children (ages 2 to 11) from 41 U.S. states.
The researchers found that in a fully adjusted model, greater exposure to green space was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms in early childhood (ages 2 to 5).b= −1.29). No association was found between residential green space and internalizing or externalizing symptoms in middle childhood (6-11 years).
“These findings suggest that green initiatives (such as parks, urban forestry, and nature preserves) have the potential to reduce the risk of early anxiety and depression symptoms in children across the United States. “,” the authors write. “At a time when children’s mental health and natural environment decline are at stake, policies that protect and promote green spaces can have far-reaching benefits for children, society and the environment.”
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