GCAT HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT - NATURAL SPACES
Scientific studies have linked green spaces (urban parks, gardens, trees or forests) with multiple health benefits for the people. In adults, it has been seen that green spaces are linked to improvements in health and mental health, such as reducing stress and increasing life expectancy.It has recently been linked to slower cognitive impairment in the elderly. In children it has been linked to improvements in thecapacity for attention, behavior and emotional development and even with beneficial structural changes at the brain level. Recent studies have also linked this to a decrease in the rate of breast cancer.
Blue spaces (fountains, lakes, rivers or seas) and their relationship with health are also being studied, being linked to increased levels of physical activity and potential mental health benefits, especially in stress and well-being.
Useful links:
- Green spaces and breast cancer.
- Benefits of green spaces in children's development (1).
- Benefits of green spaces in children's development (2).
- Green spaces and physical decline.
- Green spaces and mortality.
- Blue spaces and health.
