Living near nature can improve mental and physical health in older adults, study finds

Wascana Trails Recreation Site is pictured near Regina, Sask., Friday, May, 25, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Living near urban green and blue spaces may be tied to better physical and mental health in older adults, according to a new study.

Researchers from Washington State University led the study, published in the journal Health & Place Thursday, based on survey data from more than 42,000 people in urban areas of Washington state from 2011 to 2019.

Researchers said being able to access even just 10 per cent more forest space in a person's zip code was connected to reduced mental health problems that need treatment and affect a person's personal and professional life.

The study also showed having access to 10 per cent more green space, tree cover, bodies of water or long trails lowered the chance that older people would report their general health as poor or fair.

"Our findings suggest that loss of our urban green and blue spaces due to rapid urbanization may not just have an environmental impact but could have a public health impact as well," said Adithya Vegaraju, study author and medical student in the Washington State University (WSU) Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, in a news release.

Other studies on the topic have analyzed how living close to nature impacted general health. However, Vegaraju said this is the first to focus on older adults in the U.S., adding older people are especially susceptible to depression and other mental health issues, which are proven to increase risk of dementia and the decline of cognitive functions.

"Older adults with depression, anxiety or mental health issues are known to be more resistant to medical interventions or talk therapy, which are the go-to treatments for these conditions," he said. "If exposure to green or blue spaces could help prevent, delay or even treat poor mental health in older adults, we need to look at that more closely as a way to improve mental health outcomes in this population."

Vegaraju suggested based on the study that health-care providers could prescribe time outdoors as a potential way to alleviate mental health issues in older adults — a growing trend known as "nature prescriptions."

More research in this field needs to be done in order to understand the exact relationship between proximity to nature and mental health, according to Solmaz Amiri, senior study author, research assistant professor in the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and researcher in the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health.

"It is thought that exposure to green and blue spaces could help slow cognitive decline," Amiri said in the release. "What we would like to know is if green and blue space exposure can influence dementia directly or whether it can do so by reducing mental health issues that may lead to cognitive decline."

Amiri added she hopes these findings will help low-income people who may not have equal access to green and blue spaces in their community if they live in urban areas.