Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: There is increasing evidence that exposure to greenspaces promotes psychological well-being. The COVID-19 control measures restricted public greenspaces, which is likely to impact the people's psychological well-being. However, evidence on how the indoor or surrounding green environment might benefit mental well-being is limited when access to public greenspaces is restricted. As such, this research aims to examine the relationship between the presence of green environment (house and surroundings) and mental health in a low-middle income country during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The following hypotheses were tested: Is there any association between indoor green features (H1) and residential outdoor greenery access (H2) with psychological outcomes during the COVID-19 lockdown period? METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted with Bangladeshi residents (N=500) between February 2 to April 5, 2021. The psychological outcomes measured were anxiety (GAD-2) and depression (PHQ-2). Logistic regression estimated the association between green features and psychological outcomes after adjusting for the socioeconomic status, house type, crowding, long-standing illness and COVID-19 diagnosis information. To test for effect modification, interaction terms between sleep quality and green features, and between social interaction and green features, were added to models. RESULTS:We found that the presence of more plants at home (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.46-1.71, p0.05), window views of outdoor greenery (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.61-1.12, p0.05), access to balcony (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.18-1.18, p0.1) and visits to open space (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.40-1.07, p0.1) were associated with less anxiety and depressive symptoms during the early stages of the COVID-19 lockdown. Interaction terms showed that sleep quality has a modifying effect on the relation between window green view and mental anxiety. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that exposure to indoor greenery may be a valuable resource to improve mental health during social isolation at home. KEYWORDS: Greenspace, indoor greenery, COVID-19, mental health, Global south
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