London: According to research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology of Community Health, increasing the amount of natural (green and blue) space and private gardens has the ability to reduce the difference in lifespan between people living in the most and least poor areas.
According to the data, there is a 7 per cent decrease in the incidence of early death among people under 65 for every 10% increase in natural space. There is substantial evidence that more access to and exposure to natural space has a direct positive influence on health, supporting the notion that the environment is beneficial to health. The researchers adopted the metric of "years of life lost," or YLL, to try and find out because it is unclear whether access to natural space may also be linked to disparities in longevity and protection against earlier death.
They used YLL information from the Scottish Burden of Disease from 2016, which reflects the discrepancy between predicted and actual lifespan for men and women under 65 who were living in Scotland, UK, at the time of death. The YLL data were divided up into 'data zone', which was defined as a geographical unit of between 500 and 1000 homes that adheres to natural communities and physical boundaries, has a regular shape, and has households with social characteristics that are generally similar.
Areas of open space or private gardens were tracked in square metres using the Ordnance Survey Master map.
The following were included in the definition of "natural space": forested areas, sparsely planted areas, scrub, marshy areas, heath areas, open water (inland or tidal), semi-natural grassland areas, general natural areas like grass on sports fields, roadside verges, and farmland, agriculture, hard bare ground areas like cliffs, rocks, and boulders, and soft bare ground areas like sand, soil, and foreshore.
The lowest average percentage coverage of gardens and natural space was found in areas with the highest income deprivation (58.5%, 49-65%). These localities had the greatest rates of illness among the populace. According to the study, the frequency of premature death decreased by 7% for every 10% increase in natural area cover.
The difference in YLL between the most and least poor places was similarly correlated with an increase in the accessibility of natural space within local communities. Even little amounts of natural space appeared to have an impact. The researchers note that while "in reality, not everyone can live in an area with a high percentage of green or natural space, this does not mean that even tiny amounts of such regions are not advantageous." Since this study is observational, causation and effect cannot be determined. The researchers also note that study lacked information on the usage patterns and quality of local natural spaces, as well as on individual lifestyle choices and economic situations, all of which could have influenced their findings.
But they note that their results are consistent with those of other investigations. The researchers come to the following conclusion: "A greater number of natural/green spaces within local areas has the ability to lessen the gap in YLL between the most and least financially deprived places--the 'equigenic' impact." They continue: "Private gardens and natural areas should play a significant role in the design of any structure or development."
The researchers were unable to distinguish between the type and degree of exposure to natural space in urban and rural locations, or significant characteristics like air pollution and access to healthcare, according to a related editorial.
However, the editorialists from Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand, the USDA Forest Service in Portland, Oregon, and the US Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle note that if the association between natural space and a decline in health inequity is found to be true, then this "could provide an additional public-health tool to reduce the large health inequities that exist for deprived populations, indigenous peoples, and other ethnic minorities." The researchers were unable to distinguish between the type and degree of exposure to natural space in urban and rural locations, or significant characteristics like air pollution and access to healthcare, according to a related editorial. However, the editorialists from the Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand, the USDA Forest Service in Portland, Oregon, and the US Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle note that if the association between natural space and a decline in health inequity is found to be true, then this "could provide an additional public-health tool to reduce the large health inequities that exist for deprived populations, indigenous peoples, and other ethnic minorities." —ANI