Living in Green Spaces Reduce Health Gap
Living next to a park or a green area for all the wonderful sights and smells is not the only benefit anymore. In a recent study conducted by Dr. Richard Mitchell of the University of Glasgow, it seems that living in the presence of green spaces can have a positive impact on your health and health-related behaviors.
The team at the University of Glasgow examined 41 million people in England and examined a portion of their death records. They used this to determine if their was a relationship in health and exposure to green spaces. What they found is that the health gap between the rich and the poor was dramatically smaller ( almost half) in areas with the most green exposure. Coronary disease offered the biggest disparity among areas with and without green. Dr. Terry Hartig, of the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University in Sweden offers good insight into what was found in this study:
This study offers valuable evidence that green space does more than pretty up a neighborhood; it appears to have real effects on health inequality, of a kind that politicians and health authorities should take seriously.
I really think that this study proves the idea of living near green spaces provides for a healthy lifestyle. It really promotes good physical and mental health. On those stressful days, it is nice to go for a walk in the park and listen to the sounds of nature. It can really allow you to get away from all the busyness from our modern lives. It is a lot harder to exercise or get out of the house when you are living in an area where all the trees have been cut down and the only thing you have access to is a shopping center. I have lived in both situations and can attest to just how nice it is to have a park right near my house.
Please share if you felt any healthier living in areas with green. Also, how do you feel about the legitimacy of this study.
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7 Responses to “Living in Green Spaces Reduce Health Gap”
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I agree completely. I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood with a lot of trees and parks, and I plan my runs and walks through these parks because it really helps to slow my mind down and reinvigorate me. And I certainly notice the difference in other neighborhoods without a tree in sight.
Many local business parks near us have a lot of green space as well. I find it enjoyable to take my lunch outside to break the stress of work. We spend a ton of time away from home at work and I am seeing a big push to design business parks with trails and benches to get away from the cubicle farm for a while.
I wanted to send an email out to you guys so maybe you can help others. I purchased a Go Green product from a website called power2savings. At first I were skeptical of there product but I was intrigued on a 60 day money back guarantee. I installed the unit in August and in October I seen a 12% reduction in my energy bill from the month before and a 14 % reduction ($73.00 savings) in my bill from October of 2007 (just to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges) I would recommend this product to anyone who has an electric bill. ANYONE.
Those who live in the country will attest to how they feel living with greenery on a daily basis, but even those who live in a big city, like NYC, yet have the ability to get away to the country on the weekends, will tell you they feel that same type of rejuvenation.
I don’t know how far this is a fact but i always loved to have enough greeneries near to my house. I always insist people to have enough plants next to their homes.
JG,
I too had installed one of those PFCD LV2 on my residential home. I have saved 9% average over the last 8 months that it has been installed. My boss bought one for his restaurant and he has saved double what i have. I am pretty sure the more motors you have running the more savings you get. I too have tons of plants around my home and backyard and would not trade it for anything.
Sure, neighbourhood affects your health. I feel much better now that I moved from an industrial area to Bournemouth, which is to my best knowledge one of the greenest towns in Great Britain!