6 minutes | Wednesday, 13 June 2018
New research has unearthed a link between green space and the mental health of children living in Bradford
The study looked at the impact of nature on the wellbeing of four-year-old children living in the city.
Said to be the first of its kind to explore the relationship between the quantity, quality, and use of green space and its effect on mental health, the research has now been published in The Lancet’s Planetary Health Journal.
The study is part of the landmark Born in Bradford (BiB) project, one of the biggest health research studies undertaken in the UK as it is tracking the lives of thousands of the city’s children into adulthood and beyond.
A total of 2,594 mums (1,518 participants were South Asian, 738 were of White British origin and 333 were of another ethnicity) were asked to report on their children’s mental wellbeing between 2012 and 2015, and the amount of green space available in their neighbourhood was calculated using satellite images.
Author and BiB Director, Dr Rosie McEachan, joined us to discuss the findings.