Green spaces can help promote children's mental health preventively
For their study, the researchers followed more than 500 children over a period of nine years, from the age of three to eleven. They analysed satellite images to determine how much green space there was near the children's home and school addresses. In addition, they administered two questionnaires each year to measure anxiety symptoms in the children. In places with more greenery in the surroundings, they observed lower levels of anxiety among children. From this, they conclude that greater exposure of children to green spaces could be part of preventive policy aimed at promoting children's mental health.
The researchers point out that they have not demonstrated that the green space is the cause of the lower levels of anxiety. Nor did they have data on how long, how often and in what way the children used the green space. They believe that a green environment reduces stress because children spend more time outdoors and therefore exercise more, or because they have less screen time. It is also possible that green space leads to more risky play without parental supervision, thereby increasing feelings of autonomy and self-confidence. They say that more research is needed to clarify this.
Educational value
It is also known from previous research that green space has a beneficial influence on children's health and development, says Ali Karataş of the Netherlands Youth Institute. “Nature has great educational value. It is a shame that this value is still rarely taken into account in decisions about spatial planning. Social cost-benefit analyses are often carried out for such decisions. What does it cost to include nature in your plans, and what does it yield? In doing so, researchers do consider the benefits of nature for recreation, for example. But the educational effect on children's development is still given little consideration, and that is a shame. It would be good if policymakers paid more attention to this.”