Residential greenspace and attention problems in early childhood

Abstract

Background: Observational and experimental studies suggest that access to greenspace and spending time in parks both reduce symptoms of inattention and improve behavioral outcomes among children. Parks may provide an opportunity for intervention, yet few studies in the US have examined the potential benefits of access to public urban greenspace in early childhood. Methods: Within the ECHO-PATHWAYS Consortium, we investigated associations between residential proximity to publicly accessible parks and attention problems in the Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood (CANDLE) study in Shelby County, TN. At child age 4-6, mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist that assessed attention problems on a five-item scale. Park proximity was calculated as the Euclidean distance between the residential location at the time of this assessment and the edge of the nearest park. In Poisson regression models, we adjusted for child, maternal, and neighborhood characteristics. Results: In CANDLE, 65% of mothers identified as black, 29% white; 53% had at least a college or technical school degree. Children (N=886) were 4.3 (SD 0.4) years at the time of assessment; 51% were males; and 28% lived within 300m of a park. Preliminary results found no association between park proximity and child attention problems as a continuous measure (1% decrease in attention problems per two-fold increase in park proximity, 95%CI: -4%,4%) or dichotomized at a clinical threshold (risk ratio=1.02, 95%CI: 0.88,1.19). Effect modification by child sex was not statistically significant (pinteraction=0.12). Conclusions: While no significant associations were observed in the full sample or by child sex in this preliminary analysis, residential proximity is an imperfect proxy for access or exposure to greenspace. Future analyses will utilize greenspace exposures that additionally include private land and street trees, as well as investigating neighborhood factors, such as crime rate, that may affect children’s use of public greenspace.