Abstract
An increasing number of studies have suggested benefits of greenness exposure on mental health. We examined the association between urban greenness and depressive symptoms in adults in the general population living in the seven major cities in Korea (N = 65,128). Using data from the Korean Community Health Survey 2009, depressive symptoms were measured on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Greenness was assessed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and land-use data (forest area and forest volume). Logistic regression models were fitted to adjust for potential confounders. Individuals in regions with the highest NDVI (quartile 4) had the lowest odds for depressive symptoms compared to quartile 1, after adjusting for potential confounders (OR = 0.813; 95% CI: 0.747, 0.884). For all greenness indicators except for forest area per district area (%), the highest rate of depressive symptoms was found for the individuals in the lowest quartile of greenness (quartile 1) and the lowest rate of depressive symptoms for those in the highest quartile of greenness (quartile 4). We found an inverse association between urban greenness and depressive symptoms, which was consistent across a variety of greenness indicators. Our study suggests health benefits of greenness and could provide a scientific basis for policy making and urban planning.
Highlights
Depressive disorders are known to impose burdens on the population such as functional burdens due to cognitive impairment, social burdens due to decreased productivity, and higher mortality due to suicide [1]
The objective of this study was to examine the association between greenness exposure and depressive symptoms in adults living in the seven major cities in Korea, using various greenness indicators
11.7% of the study population was shown to have depressive symptoms based on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) score cut-off point of ≥16
Summary
Depressive disorders are known to impose burdens on the population such as functional burdens due to cognitive impairment, social burdens due to decreased productivity, and higher mortality due to suicide [1]. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015, depression is the 2nd leading causes of global age-specific disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2015 for aged 20–24 years, the. 3rd for aged 15–19, and between 5th and 10th for aged 40–64 years [2]. Urban green space is one of the most important environmental components of a city in that it provides health benefits to the city dwellers. Exposure to greenness is known to have a positive impact on health through various pathways including the promotion of physical activity, enhancement of. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 173; doi:10.3390/ijerph16020173 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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