IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v139y2024ics0264837724000395.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Perception of green spaces' role in enhancing mental health and mental well-being in small and medium-sized cities

Author

Listed:
  • Delgado-Serrano, María Mar
  • Melichová, Katarína
  • Mac Fadden, Isotta
  • Cruz-Piedrahita, Catalina

Abstract

Understanding the impact of green spaces on public health is crucial for urban planning and mental well-being enhancement in small and medium-sized cities (SMSCs). This study compares the influence of green spaces on mental well-being and psychological distress in Córdoba and Nitra. Using a cross-sectional survey, responses from 632 participants were collected and evenly distributed between the two cities. Mental well-being and psychological distress were assessed using the WHO-5 and K6 scales, while also considering sociodemographic factors and green space usage frequency. The findings indicate that green space perception positively correlates with mental well-being in both cities. However, the extent and nature of engagement with these spaces, and their associated health benefits, significantly differ between Córdoba and Nitra. In Nitra, more time spent in green spaces was strongly linked to higher mental well-being scores. In contrast, in Córdoba, this association was significant only for those spending over three hours in green spaces. The impacts on psychological distress varied, with notable negative associations tied to the frequency of green exercise in Nitra. These results suggest that while green spaces generally support mental well-being and reduce psychological distress, the benefits are not uniformly experienced across different urban settings. Variations could be due to distinct urban characteristics like size and weather. This study highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of how green spaces influence public health, tailored to each city's specific characteristics. It emphasizes the importance for urban planners to consider these factors to maximize the health benefits of green spaces.

Suggested Citation

  • Delgado-Serrano, María Mar & Melichová, Katarína & Mac Fadden, Isotta & Cruz-Piedrahita, Catalina, 2024. "Perception of green spaces' role in enhancing mental health and mental well-being in small and medium-sized cities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:139:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724000395
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107087
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837724000395
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2024.107087?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kirsten M. M. Beyer & Andrea Kaltenbach & Aniko Szabo & Sandra Bogar & F. Javier Nieto & Kristen M. Malecki, 2014. "Exposure to Neighborhood Green Space and Mental Health: Evidence from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Madeleine Wagner & Anna Growe, 2021. "Research on Small and Medium-Sized Towns: Framing a New Field of Inquiry," World, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Andrea Bonanomi & Alessandro Rosina, 2022. "Employment Status and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Study on Young Italian People," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 581-598, June.
    4. Baltar, Fabiola & Brunet Icart, Ignasi, 2012. "Social research 2.0: virtual snowball sampling method using Facebook," Nülan. Deposited Documents 1875, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales, Centro de Documentación.
    5. Jelke Bethlehem, 2010. "Selection Bias in Web Surveys," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 78(2), pages 161-188, August.
    6. Francis, Jacinta & Wood, Lisa J. & Knuiman, Matthew & Giles-Corti, Billie, 2012. "Quality or quantity? Exploring the relationship between Public Open Space attributes and mental health in Perth, Western Australia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(10), pages 1570-1577.
    7. Alessandro Rigolon & Matthew H. E. M. Browning & Olivia McAnirlin & Hyunseo (Violet) Yoon, 2021. "Green Space and Health Equity: A Systematic Review on the Potential of Green Space to Reduce Health Disparities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-27, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Joy L. Hart & Ray A. Yeager & Daniel W. Riggs & Daniel Fleischer & Ugochukwu Owolabi & Kandi L. Walker & Aruni Bhatnagar & Rachel J. Keith, 2022. "The Relationship between Perceptions and Objective Measures of Greenness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-17, December.
    2. Jean C. Bikomeye & Andreas M. Beyer & Jamila L. Kwarteng & Kirsten M. M. Beyer, 2022. "Greenspace, Inflammation, Cardiovascular Health, and Cancer: A Review and Conceptual Framework for Greenspace in Cardio-Oncology Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Hansen Li & Matthew H. E. M. Browning & Angel M. Dzhambov & Guodong Zhang & Yang Cao, 2022. "Green Space for Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era: A Pathway Analysis in Residential Green Space Users," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, July.
    4. Nafsika Afentou & Patrick Moore & Katrina Hull & Jenny Shepherd & Stephanie Elliott & Emma Frew, 2022. "Inland Waterways and Population Health and Wellbeing: A Cross-Sectional Study of Waterway Users in the UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-23, October.
    5. Qiang Wen & Haiqiang Liu & Jinyuan Chen & Huiyao Ye & Zeyu Pan, 2023. "Evaluation of Satisfaction with the Built Environment of University Buildings under the Epidemic and Its Impact on Student Anxiety," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-23, February.
    6. Alba Rocio Gutierrez Garzon & Pete Bettinger & Jacek Siry & Bin Mei & Jesse Abrams, 2019. "The Terms Foresters and Planners in the United States Use to Infer Sustainability in Forest Management Plans: A Survey Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-20, December.
    7. Larissa Hugentobler, 2022. "The Instagram Interview: Talking to People About Travel Experiences Across Online and Offline Spaces," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(3), pages 247-260.
    8. Ramón Ferri-García & María del Mar Rueda, 2022. "Variable selection in Propensity Score Adjustment to mitigate selection bias in online surveys," Statistical Papers, Springer, vol. 63(6), pages 1829-1881, December.
    9. Jiang, Wenhao & Stickley, Andrew & Ueda, Michiko, 2021. "Green space and suicide mortality in Japan: An ecological study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    10. Lehmann, Nico & Sloot, Daniel & Schüle, Christopher & Ardone, Armin & Fichtner, Wolf, 2023. "The motivational drivers behind consumer preferences for regional electricity – Results of a choice experiment in Southern Germany," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    11. Giulia Casu & Marco Giovanni Mariani & Rita Chiesa & Dina Guglielmi & Paola Gremigni, 2021. "The Role of Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Gender between Job Satisfaction and Task Performance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-15, September.
    12. Malik, Khyati & Kim, Sowon & Cultice, Brian J., 2023. "The impact of remote work on green space values in regional housing markets," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    13. Bianca Polenzani & Chiara Riganelli & Andrea Marchini, 2020. "Sustainability Perception of Local Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Consumers’ Attitude: A New Italian Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, January.
    14. Brandtjen, Roland, 2023. "In varietate concordia - United in diversity: An analyze of the EU environment according to its motto," IU Discussion Papers - Business & Management 6 (Oktober 2023), IU International University of Applied Sciences.
    15. Xiaoping Liu & Xiao-Bai Li, 2024. "Cost-Effective Acquisition of First-Party Data for Business Analytics," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 36(5), pages 1242-1260, September.
    16. Bertram, Christine & Rehdanz, Katrin, 2015. "The role of urban green space for human well-being," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 139-152.
    17. Galperin, Hernan & Arcidiacono, Malena, 2021. "Employment and the gender digital divide in Latin America: A decomposition analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(7).
    18. Luis Castro-Martín & María del Mar Rueda & Ramón Ferri-García, 2020. "Estimating General Parameters from Non-Probability Surveys Using Propensity Score Adjustment," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-14, November.
    19. Prentice, Catherine & Nguyen, Mai, 2021. "Robotic service quality – Scale development and validation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    20. Yuhong Tian & Fenghua Liu & Chi Yung Jim & Tiantian Wang & Jingya Luan & Mengxuan Yan, 2022. "Effects of Self-Rated Health Status on Residents’ Social-Benefit Perceptions of Urban Green Space," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-19, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:139:y:2024:i:c:s0264837724000395. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.