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Relationships between Characteristics of Urban Green Land Cover and Mental Health in U.S. Metropolitan Areas

Author

Listed:
  • Wei-Lun Tsai

    (Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Box 8004, Raleigh, NC 27695-8004, USA)

  • Melissa R. McHale

    (Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, 1499 Campus Delivery, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, USA)

  • Viniece Jennings

    (US Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Athens, GA 30602, USA)

  • Oriol Marquet

    (Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Box 8004, Raleigh, NC 27695-8004, USA
    Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, Box 7106, Raleigh, NC 27695-7106, USA)

  • J. Aaron Hipp

    (Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Box 8004, Raleigh, NC 27695-8004, USA
    Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, Box 7106, Raleigh, NC 27695-7106, USA)

  • Yu-Fai Leung

    (Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Box 8004, Raleigh, NC 27695-8004, USA
    Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, Box 7106, Raleigh, NC 27695-7106, USA)

  • Myron F. Floyd

    (Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University, Box 8004, Raleigh, NC 27695-8004, USA)

Abstract

Urbanization increases risk for depression and other mental disorders. A growing body of research indicates the natural environment confers numerous psychological benefits including alleviation of mental distress. This study examined land cover types and landscape metrics in relation to mental health for 276 U.S. counties within metropolitan areas having a population of 1 million or more. County Health Rankings and Behavioral Risk and Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) provided a measure of mental health. The 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) provided data on green land cover types, from which seven landscape metrics were generated to characterize landscape patterns. Spearman’s rho correlation and stepwise logistic regression models, respectively, were employed to examine bivariate and multivariate relationships. Models were adjusted for county population and housing density, region, race, and income to account for potential confounding. Overall, individual measures of landscape patterns showed stronger associations with mental health than percent total cover alone. Greater edge contrast was associated with 3.81% lower odds of Frequent Mental Distress (FMD) (Adjusted Odd’s Ratio (AOR) = 0.9619, 95% CI = 0.9371, 0.9860). Shrubland cohesion was associated with greater odds of FMD (AOR = 1.0751, 95% CI = 1.0196, 1.1379). In addition, distance between shrubland cover was associated with greater odds of FMD (AOR = 1.0027, 95% CI = 1.0016, 1.0041). Although effect sizes were small, findings suggest different types of landscape characteristics may have different roles in improving mental health.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei-Lun Tsai & Melissa R. McHale & Viniece Jennings & Oriol Marquet & J. Aaron Hipp & Yu-Fai Leung & Myron F. Floyd, 2018. "Relationships between Characteristics of Urban Green Land Cover and Mental Health in U.S. Metropolitan Areas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:2:p:340-:d:131973
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Matthew H. E. M. Browning & Alessandro Rigolon, 2018. "Do Income, Race and Ethnicity, and Sprawl Influence the Greenspace-Human Health Link in City-Level Analyses? Findings from 496 Cities in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-22, July.
    6. Kaili Chen & Tianzheng Zhang & Fangyuan Liu & Yingjie Zhang & Yan Song, 2021. "How Does Urban Green Space Impact Residents’ Mental Health: A Literature Review of Mediators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-27, November.
    7. Daniel Wiese & Antoinette M. Stroup & Aniruddha Maiti & Gerald Harris & Shannon M. Lynch & Slobodan Vucetic & Victor H. Gutierrez-Velez & Kevin A. Henry, 2021. "Measuring Neighborhood Landscapes: Associations between a Neighborhood’s Landscape Characteristics and Colon Cancer Survival," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Juliana A. Maantay & Andrew R. Maroko, 2018. "Brownfields to Greenfields: Environmental Justice Versus Environmental Gentrification," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, October.
    9. Zhipeng Zhu & Junyi Li & Ziru Chen, 2023. "Green space equity: spatial distribution of urban green spaces and correlation with urbanization in Xiamen, China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 423-443, January.

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