The extent to which neighborhood green space impacts health for lower educated groups may depend on the urbanicity of the area

This study examined the relationship between neighborhood green space and the general and mental health among different groups of people in four European cities. These cities differed in size, urbanicity, climate and societal characteristics, such as the employment rate for women and the country's prosperity level. Previous studies suggested that certain urban residents -- such as those of low socioeconomic status, children, the elderly, and women -- may benefit more from the presence of neighborhood green space than others. For children, this was especially true in the most urbanized areas. Previous research, however, reported mixed results. This study focused on age, gender, educational level, and employment status to determine if the impact of neighborhood green space differs between population groups.

This study was based on data from four cities participating in the EU-funded PHENOTYPE project: Barcelona (Spain), Kaunas (Lithuania), Doetinchem (The Netherlands), and Stoke-on-Trent (UK). This self-report data included measures of mental and general health, individual characteristics (including the presence of children in the home), and perceived neighborhood green space. This study also used data based on more objective measurements of both quality and quantity of neighborhood green space. Quantity measures included the percentage of visible gardens, garden size, the arrangement of the gardens, number of trees, size of public green spaces, and size of public blue spaces. The quality was determined by the auditor's answer to the question: “What is your general impression of the quality of the green space in this neighborhood?” with response options ranging from 1 (very negative) to 5 (very positive). Neighborhood green space was compared between neighborhoods within one city, not across all cities. This analysis made it possible to examine the relative effect of green space on health.

There was no clear evidence of employment status, age, or sex impacting the relationship between neighborhood green space and health. There was some evidence, however, of education level impacting the extent to which urban residents benefited from neighborhood green space. This was most evident in Barcelona, where low-educated residents showed more health-related benefits of neighborhood green space than higher-educated residents.

Overall, this study does not support the idea that the elderly, women, and people who are not employed full-time benefit from neighborhood green space more than others. What this study did show is that the patterns regarding neighborhood green space and health between sub-populations differed between the four cities, with Barcelona having the biggest impact. This suggests that residential circumstances (such as urbanicity) can play a role in the impact of neighborhood green space on human health.