The relationship between environmental green space and mental health outcomes was investigated in a study area that includes a spectrum of urban to rural environments. Data for this study was gathered from the population-based Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) database. This database includes information collected through interviews, physical exams, and biospecimens from a representative sample of Wisconsin residents. This information was linked to the physical and social environmental characteristics of each of the resident's street address. The sample for this study included 2,479 individuals, ranging in age from 21-74 years.
The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) was used as a measure of mental health with subscales focusing on depression, anxiety, and stress. Several sources of information were used to determine neighborhood greenness: The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and tree canopy data obtained from the National Land Cover Database.
A statistical analysis of the data indicated that higher levels of neighborhood green space were associated with significantly lower levels of symptomology for depression, anxiety and stress when controlling for individual and neighborhood characteristics. Additionally, a higher proportion of individuals living in environments with less than 10% tree canopy were found to be in the lowest income group.
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