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Life Course, Green Space and Health: Incorporating Place into Life Course Epidemiology

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  • Jamie Pearce

    (Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 9XP, UK)

  • Niamh Shortt

    (Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 9XP, UK)

  • Esther Rind

    (Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 9XP, UK)

  • Richard Mitchell

    (Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Health, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland G12 8RZ, UK)

Abstract

Researchers interested in the relationships between place and health have been slow to incorporate a life course perspective, probably due to the lack of readily available historical environmental data. This hinders the identification of causal relationships. It also restricts our understanding as to whether there are accumulative effects over the life course and if there are critical periods in people’s lives when places are particularly pertinent. This study considers the feasibility of constructing longitudinal data on the availability of urban green space. The suitability of various historical and contemporary data sources is considered, including paper maps, aerial photographs and tabular land use data. Measures of urban green space are created for all neighbourhoods across the Edinburgh region of Scotland at various points during the past 100 years. We demonstrate that it is feasible to develop such measures, but there are complex issues involved in doing so. We also test the utility of the measures via an analysis of how accessibility to green space might alter over the life course of both people, and their residential neighbourhoods. The findings emphasise the potential for utilising historical data to significantly enhance understanding of the relationships between nature and health, and between health and place more generally. We encourage researchers to use data from other locations to consider including a longitudinal perspective to examine relationships between people’s health and their environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Jamie Pearce & Niamh Shortt & Esther Rind & Richard Mitchell, 2016. "Life Course, Green Space and Health: Incorporating Place into Life Course Epidemiology," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-11, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2016:i:3:p:331-:d:65965
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Helena Tunstall & Niamh K Shortt & Jamie R Pearce & Richard J Mitchell, 2015. "Difficult Life Events, Selective Migration and Spatial Inequalities in Mental Health in the UK," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-13, May.
    2. Curtis, Sarah & Southall, H. & Congdon, P. & Dodgeon, B., 2004. "Area effects on health variation over the life-course: analysis of the longitudinal study sample in England using new data on area of residence in childhood," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 57-74, January.
    3. Tunstall, Helena & Mitchell, Richard & Pearce, Jamie & Shortt, Niamh, 2014. "The general and mental health of movers to more- and less-disadvantaged socio-economic and physical environments within the UK," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 97-107.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mariya Geneshka & Peter Coventry & Joana Cruz & Simon Gilbody, 2021. "Relationship between Green and Blue Spaces with Mental and Physical Health: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Observational Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-29, August.
    2. Susanne Boers & Karin Hagoort & Floortje Scheepers & Marco Helbich, 2018. "Does Residential Green and Blue Space Promote Recovery in Psychotic Disorders? A Cross-Sectional Study in the Province of Utrecht, The Netherlands," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-8, October.
    3. Mark P.C. Cherrie & Niamh K. Shortt & Catharine Ward Thompson & Ian J. Deary & Jamie R. Pearce, 2019. "Association Between the Activity Space Exposure to Parks in Childhood and Adolescence and Cognitive Aging in Later Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-13, February.
    4. Marco Helbich, 2019. "Spatiotemporal Contextual Uncertainties in Green Space Exposure Measures: Exploring a Time Series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Indices," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-13, March.
    5. Jonathan R. Olsen & Ruth Dundas & Anne Ellaway, 2017. "Are Changes in Neighbourhood Perceptions Associated with Changes in Self-Rated Mental Health in Adults? A 13-Year Repeat Cross-Sectional Study, UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-15, November.

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