Physical and mental health benefits of access to green space - Philippa Lynch

A range of bodies, including Government agencies, have promoted the possible physical and mental health benefits of access to green space. This POSTnote, titled Green Space and Health, summarises the evidence for physical and mental health benefits from contact with nature, such as reducing rates of non-communicable diseases, and the challenges for urban green spaces.

POST, The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology produces independent, balanced and accessible briefings on public policy issues related to science and technology. POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer reviewed.

The 'green spaces' that are the subject of this note are natural or semi-natural areas partially or completely covered by vegetation that occur in or near urban areas. They include parks, woodlands and allotments, which provide habitat for wildlife and can be used for recreation. Only half of people in England live within 300 metres of green space and the amount of green space available is expected to decrease as urban infrastructure expands. Key points in this POSTnote include:

• Physical and mental illnesses associated with sedentary urban lifestyles are an increasing economic and social cost.
• Areas with more accessible green space are associated with better mental and physical health.
• The risk of mortality caused by cardiovascular disease is lower in residential areas that have higher levels of ‘greenness’.
• There is evidence that exposure to nature could be used as part of the treatment for some conditions.
• There are challenges to providing green spaces, such as how to make parks easily accessible and how to fund both their creation and maintenance.