What is the value of Greenspace to children’s development?

Using data collected from over 4 US states, Towe-Goodman and many colleagues link between living near green spaces (for instance, forests, parks, residential yards) and mental health. They report that “greater residential green space exposure [from birth and within an area up to ¾ of a mile from home] was associated with fewer internalizing symptoms [for example, anxiety and depression] in early childhood but not in middle childhood. . . . Green space exposure was measured using a biannual (ie, summer and winter) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, a satellite image–based indicator of vegetation density assigned to monthly residential history from birth to outcome assessment. . . . Outcomes were assessed at mean . . . ages of 4.2 . . . years in . . . children aged 2 to 5 years and 7.8 . . . years in . . . children aged 6 to 11 years. . . . the association of green space with fewer internalizing symptoms was observed only in early childhood, suggesting a sensitive period for nature exposure.”
Nissa Towe-Goodman, Kristen McArthur, Michael Willoughby, and 25 others. 2024. “Green Space and Internalizing or Externalizing Symptoms Among Children.” Jama Network Open, vol. 7, no. 4, e2455742, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5742