More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from salivary cortisol patterns
998
Citation
68
Reference
10
Related Paper
Citation Trend
Abstract:
Green space has been associated with a wide range of health benefits, including stress reduction, but much pertinent evidence has relied on self-reported health indicators or experiments in artificially controlled environmental conditions. Little research has been reported using ecologically valid objective measures with participants in their everyday, residential settings. This paper describes the results of an exploratory study (n = 25) to establish whether salivary cortisol can act as a biomarker for variation in stress levels which may be associated with varying levels of exposure to green spaces, and whether recruitment and adherence to the required, unsupervised, salivary cortisol sampling protocol within the domestic setting could be achieved in a highly deprived urban population. Self-reported measures of stress and general wellbeing were also captured, allowing exploration of relationships between cortisol, wellbeing and exposure to green space close to home. Results indicate significant relationships between self-reported stress (P < 0.01), diurnal patterns of cortisol secretion (P < 0.05), and quantity of green space in the living environment. Regression analysis indicates percentage of green space in the living environment is a significant (P < 0.05) and independent predictor of the circadian cortisol cycle, in addition to self-reported physical activity (P < 0.02). Results also show that compliance with the study protocol was good. We conclude that salivary cortisol measurement offers considerable potential for exploring relationships between wellbeing and green space and discuss how this ecologically valid methodology can be developed to confirm and extend findings in deprived city areas to illuminate why provision of green space close to home might enhance health.Keywords:
Urban Green Space
Using geographic information software-MapInfo,the aerial photographs and maps of Baoding city were operated by vector analysis,the data and information were collected as well.By studying the indexes of the urban green such as three-green-targets,landscape pattern and accessibility,the status of the urban green space was generally evaluated.The results showed that the overall level of urban green space in Baoding city was relatively good and it had appropriate size,great landscape,rational layout and easy accessibility.But there were still several questions such as the reasonless distribution of the incity green spaces and the lacking of suburban forest.A reasonable proposal for urban green space was also put forward.
Urban Green Space
Urban landscape
Urban forest
Urban Forestry
Cite
Citations (1)
The great disaster losses of Wenchuan earthquake makes people to consider profoundly some misunderstandings in the planning and construction of urban green space system at present,further arouses the research fever of calamity-preventive green space.Based on current urban pattern and green space system layout,optimizing calamity-preventive function of urban green space,building urban calamity-preventive green space system with reasonable functional level and layout structure,to practically improve calamity-preventive function of whole urban.
Urban Green Space
Urban Space
Cite
Citations (0)
The paper discusses the concept and function of green space from the perspective of sustainable development.Take Nanjing city for example,considering the historic and present conditions;characteristic and problems of green space layout,the author put forward a green space guided distribution model for city space,which is expected to be beneficial to city's sustainable development.
Urban Green Space
Cite
Citations (0)
According to the current status of urban green space system in Enshi city,applying part indexes( green space rate, dominance index,degree of landscape fragmentation,and fractal dimension of green space type) of landscape ecology,this paper analyzed and evaluated the current status of urban green space system in this city. The results indicated that the general level of afforestation was relatively low,and the green space area per person was slightly small; the recreation function of green space was not strong; the plaque of green space was relatively broken in general,and the pattern of landscape was relatively complex. In addition, the author put forward some corresponding suggestions.
Urban Green Space
Dominance (genetics)
Afforestation
Cite
Citations (0)