A group of American scientists from various scientific institutions studied the connection between young children’s mental health and exposure to natural areas. They found that children who lived surrounded by forests and parks from the moment they were born had fewer emotional problems at an early age. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine JAMA Network Open.
The study analyzed parents’ reports of their children’s behavior, collected from a large sample of young children ages two to 11, to understand the impact of early exposure to green spaces. The team linked these data with satellite data that measured the density of vegetation around children’s homes at birth.
The researchers found that higher values of environmental greenness were associated with fewer emotional problems in young children.
Interestingly, the beneficial effects of forests and parks were not observed in children aged 6 to 11 years who were likely to spend more time away from their immediate living environments, particularly in school.
This shift suggests that the effects of green space on mental health may be critical, especially in the early years when children are more likely to stay at home.
The results highlight the potential of natural environments to support young children’s development and mental health. They suggest that providing access to green space can be a vital strategy in public health and urban planning to improve the well-being of young children in particular.
Previous scientists I learnedIt is stated that living in green areas reduces a person’s biological age by 2.5 years.