Australian boys living closer to the beach show better social and emotional developmentThis Australian study investigated if young children’s access to green spaces (grass, shrubs, trees) and blue spaces (rivers, swamps, lakes, ocean) was related to their social and emotional well-being. Using statistics, researchers tested the hypothesis that preschool-age boys and girls with higher access to green space and blue space would have better socioemotional development scores.
This quantitative study was set in Perth, Australia, a coastal city in a country where beaches are celebrated for promoting a relaxed and active lifestyle. To test the study’s hypothesis, the researchers first measured the socio-emotional development of 1525 pre-school-age boys and girls with a standardized parent survey. The 25 survey items provide sub-scores for emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention, peer relationship problems, and pro-social behavior. They also used global information systems and high-resolution aerial imagery to calculate percentages of neighborhood vegetation within 1600 meters of children’s residences and their proximity to different types of water access with 5000 meters, including distance to the closest beach, patrolled beach, and dog beaches. Finally, data included other demographic variables, such as children’s sex and household and neighborhood socio-economic status, to account for their possible roles in children’s socio-emotional health scores. With these data, the researchers conducted statistical analysis to identify any correlations between green spaces or blue spaces and children’s socio-emotional development while accounting for sociodemographic variables.
This statistical analysis identified several small but significant relationships been pre-school boys’ social and emotional development and the distance to the closest beach and patrolled beach. Boys’ social and emotional development scores generally increased as the distance to the nearest beach decreased, even when adjusting for neighborhood socioeconomic status. However, this was not true for girls. Also, the study found no significant relationships between neighborhood vegetation and boys’ or girls’ social and emotional development scores. Further, the statistical analysis found no significant relationships between either the green space or blue space variables at the 1600m or 5000m buffers and the social and emotional development scores for either preschool boys or girls. The amount of vegetation and water for each neighborhood varied by socioeconomic status with the most disadvantaged areas furthest from the beach and demonstrating less green space and blue space compared to the most advantaged neighborhoods.
The study documented a gender effect—with the distance to the nearest beach associated with better socio-emotional development scores for preschool boys, not girls. Surprisingly, higher residential green space or blue space did not have a significant effect on children’s social and emotional development measures. Thus, the statistical analysis did not confirm the authors’ research hypothesis or reproduce the findings of previous research. It’s beyond the scope of the study to determine how or why living closer to the beach was associated with heathier social and emotional development for preschool boys alone. Likewise, it’s not clear if these findings are generalizable to other communities, given the importance of beach culture to this remote, Australian coastal city. However, the study highlights another potential benefit of living closer to the beach.
The Bottom Line