IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v16y2019i10p1809-d233193.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Low Childhood Nature Exposure is Associated with Worse Mental Health in Adulthood

Author

Listed:
  • Myriam Preuß

    (Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6, 6211 LK Maastricht, The Netherlands
    Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain)

  • Mark Nieuwenhuijsen

    (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain)

  • Sandra Marquez

    (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain)

  • Marta Cirach

    (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain)

  • Payam Dadvand

    (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain)

  • Margarita Triguero-Mas

    (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain)

  • Christopher Gidlow

    (Centre for Health and Development, Staffordshire University, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 2DF, UK)

  • Regina Grazuleviciene

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, K. Donelaicio str. 58, 44248 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Hanneke Kruize

    (Center for Sustainability, Environment and Health, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands)

  • Wilma Zijlema

    (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

Exposure to natural outdoor environments (NOE) is associated with health benefits; however, evidence on the impact of NOE exposure during childhood on mental health (MH) and vitality in adulthood is scarce. This study was based on questionnaire data collected from 3585 participants, aged 18–75, in the PHENOTYPE project (2013) in four European cities. Mixed models were used to investigate associations between childhood NOE exposure and (i) MH; (ii) vitality (perceived level of energy and fatigue); and (iii) potential mediation by perceived amount, use, satisfaction, importance of NOE, and residential surrounding greenness, using pooled and city-level data. Adults with low levels of childhood NOE exposure had, when compared to adults with high levels of childhood NOE exposure, significantly worse mental health (coef. −4.13; 95% CI −5.52, −2.74). Childhood NOE exposure was not associated with vitality. Low levels of childhood NOE exposure were associated with lower importance of NOE (OR 0.81; 95% CI 0.66, 0.98) in adulthood. The association with perceived amount of NOE differed between cities. We found no evidence for mediation. Childhood NOE exposure might be associated with mental well-being in adulthood. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to identify mechanisms underlying long-term benefits of childhood NOE exposure.

Suggested Citation

  • Myriam Preuß & Mark Nieuwenhuijsen & Sandra Marquez & Marta Cirach & Payam Dadvand & Margarita Triguero-Mas & Christopher Gidlow & Regina Grazuleviciene & Hanneke Kruize & Wilma Zijlema, 2019. "Low Childhood Nature Exposure is Associated with Worse Mental Health in Adulthood," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:10:p:1809-:d:233193
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/10/1809/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/10/1809/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sugiyama, T. & Francis, J. & Middleton, N.J. & Owen, N. & Giles-CortI, B., 2010. "Associations between recreational walking and attractiveness, size, and proximity of neighborhood open spaces," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(9), pages 1752-1757.
    2. Mireia Gascon & Margarita Triguero-Mas & David Martínez & Payam Dadvand & Joan Forns & Antoni Plasència & Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen, 2015. "Mental Health Benefits of Long-Term Exposure to Residential Green and Blue Spaces: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Giovanna Calogiuri, 2016. "Natural Environments and Childhood Experiences Promoting Physical Activity, Examining the Mediational Effects of Feelings about Nature and Social Networks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-21, April.
    4. Cohen, D.A. & McKenzie, T.L. & Sehgal, A. & Williamson, S. & Golinelli, D. & Lurie, N., 2007. "Contribution of public parks to physical activity," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(3), pages 509-514.
    5. Florian Lederbogen & Peter Kirsch & Leila Haddad & Fabian Streit & Heike Tost & Philipp Schuch & Stefan Wüst & Jens C. Pruessner & Marcella Rietschel & Michael Deuschle & Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, 2011. "City living and urban upbringing affect neural social stress processing in humans," Nature, Nature, vol. 474(7352), pages 498-501, June.
    6. Catherine B. Chan & Daniel A. Ryan, 2009. "Assessing the Effects of Weather Conditions on Physical Activity Participation Using Objective Measures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 6(10), pages 1-16, October.
    7. Elisabeth H. Bos & Leon Van der Meulen & Marieke Wichers & Bertus F. Jeronimus, 2016. "A Primrose Path? Moderating Effects of Age and Gender in the Association between Green Space and Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-8, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Carlos Cobreros & Neyda Medoza-Ruvalcaba & Mariana Flores-García & Rob Roggema, 2023. "Improving Psychological Well-Being in Urban University Districts through Biophilic Design: Two Cases in Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Mayte Serrat & Juan P. Sanabria-Mazo & Elna García-Troiteiro & Anna Fontcuberta & Corel Mateo-Canedo & Míriam Almirall & Albert Feliu-Soler & Jorge Luis Méndez-Ulrich & Antoni Sanz & Juan V. Luciano, 2020. "Efficacy of a Multicomponent Intervention for Fibromyalgia Based on Pain Neuroscience Education, Exercise Therapy, Psychological Support, and Nature Exposure (NAT-FM): Study Protocol of a Randomized C," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-15, January.
    3. Dongying Li & Tess Menotti & Yizhen Ding & Nancy M. Wells, 2021. "Life Course Nature Exposure and Mental Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Future Directions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-28, May.
    4. Marcia P. Jimenez & Nicole V. DeVille & Elise G. Elliott & Jessica E. Schiff & Grete E. Wilt & Jaime E. Hart & Peter James, 2021. "Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-19, April.
    5. Amber L. Pearson & Catherine D. Brown & Aaron Reuben & Natalie Nicholls & Karin A. Pfeiffer & Kimberly A. Clevenger, 2023. "Elementary Classroom Views of Nature Are Associated with Lower Child Externalizing Behavior Problems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(9), pages 1-14, April.
    6. Xue Zhang & Suhong Zhou & Rongping Lin & Lingling Su, 2020. "Relationship between Long-Term Residential Green Exposure and Individuals’ Mental Health: Moderated by Income Differences and Residential Location in Urban China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-21, December.

    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. Charlotte Wendelboe-Nelson & Sarah Kelly & Marion Kennedy & John W. Cherrie, 2019. "A Scoping Review Mapping Research on Green Space and Associated Mental Health Benefits," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-49, June.
    2. Xiaohu Zhang & Scott Melbourne & Chinmoy Sarkar & Alain Chiaradia & Chris Webster, 2020. "Effects of green space on walking: Does size, shape and density matter?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(16), pages 3402-3420, December.
    3. Meryem Hayir-Kanat & Jürgen Breuste, 2020. "Outdoor Recreation Participation in Istanbul, Turkey: An Investigation of Frequency, Length, Travel Time and Activities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-23, January.
    4. Lincoln R Larson & Viniece Jennings & Scott A Cloutier, 2016. "Public Parks and Wellbeing in Urban Areas of the United States," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(4), pages 1-19, April.
    5. Marica Cassarino & Eleanor Bantry-White & Annalisa Setti, 2019. "Cognitive and Sensory Dimensions of Older People’s Preferences of Outdoor Spaces for Walking: A Survey Study in Ireland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-12, April.
    6. Xialu Wu & Yu-Sheng Shen & Shenghui Cui, 2023. "Global Trends in Green Space and Senior Mental Health Studies: Bibliometric Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-12, January.
    7. Viniece Jennings & Lincoln Larson & Jessica Yun, 2016. "Advancing Sustainability through Urban Green Space: Cultural Ecosystem Services, Equity, and Social Determinants of Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, February.
    8. Matthew Browning & Kangjae Lee, 2017. "Within What Distance Does “Greenness” Best Predict Physical Health? A Systematic Review of Articles with GIS Buffer Analyses across the Lifespan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, June.
    9. Amber L. Pearson & Ross Bottomley & Tim Chambers & Lukar Thornton & James Stanley & Moira Smith & Michelle Barr & Louise Signal, 2017. "Measuring Blue Space Visibility and ‘Blue Recreation’ in the Everyday Lives of Children in a Capital City," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-12, May.
    10. Chongxian Chen & Weijing Luo & Haiwei Li & Danting Zhang & Ning Kang & Xiaohao Yang & Yu Xia, 2020. "Impact of Perception of Green Space for Health Promotion on Willingness to Use Parks and Actual Use among Young Urban Residents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-21, August.
    11. Claudia Fongar & Geir Aamodt & Thomas B. Randrup & Ingjerd Solfjeld, 2019. "Does Perceived Green Space Quality Matter? Linking Norwegian Adult Perspectives on Perceived Quality to Motivation and Frequency of Visits," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Chaudhury, Habib & Campo, Michael & Michael, Yvonne & Mahmood, Atiya, 2016. "Neighbourhood environment and physical activity in older adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 104-113.
    13. 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.
    14. Linde Van Hecke & Jelle Van Cauwenberg & Peter Clarys & Delfien Van Dyck & Jenny Veitch & Benedicte Deforche, 2016. "Active Use of Parks in Flanders (Belgium): An Exploratory Observational Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    15. Elena Plans & Pedro Gullón & Alba Cebrecos & Mario Fontán & Julia Díez & Mark Nieuwenhuijsen & Manuel Franco, 2019. "Density of Green Spaces and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the City of Madrid: The Heart Healthy Hoods Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-12, December.
    16. Alessia Grigoletto & Mario Mauro & Francesco Campa & Alberto Loi & Maria Cristina Zambon & Marzia Bettocchi & Mark Nieuwenhuijsen & Laura Bragonzoni & Pasqualino Maietta Latessa & Stefania Toselli, 2021. "Attitudes towards Green Urban Space: A Case Study of Two Italian Regions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-21, June.
    17. Sarah A. Costigan & Jenny Veitch & David Crawford & Alison Carver & Anna Timperio, 2017. "A Cross-Sectional Investigation of the Importance of Park Features for Promoting Regular Physical Activity in Parks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-10, November.
    18. 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.
    19. Hyun Jin Lee & Dong Kun Lee, 2019. "Do Sociodemographic Factors and Urban Green Space Affect Mental Health Outcomes Among the Urban Elderly Population?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-13, March.
    20. Hao-Ting Chang & Chih-Da Wu & Wen-Chi Pan & Shih-Chun Candice Lung & Huey-Jen Su, 2019. "Association Between Surrounding Greenness and Schizophrenia: A Taiwanese Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-16, April.

    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:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:10:p:1809-:d:233193. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.