The Natural Playground for Children
A team of researchers from NIH’s Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program led by Dr. Nissa Towe-Goodman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that green spaces may improve the mental health of children as young as 2 to 5 years old.
They studied more than 2,000 children born between 2007 and 2013 and living in almost 200 counties across 41 states and found that young children (2 to 5 years old) living in areas with more green spaces had fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Having green space around the home was associated with fewer internalizing and externalizing symptoms during early childhood.
Externalizing symptoms (aggression, rule-breaking, impulsivity, disruptive behavior, bullying, hyperactivity, and acting out) and internalizing symptoms (depression, fears, phobias, anxiety and obsessions) reduced the association with green space.
“Our research supports existing evidence that being in nature is good for kids,” Towe-Goodman says. “It also suggests that the early childhood years are a crucial time for exposure to green spaces.”
These results suggest that improving access to green spaces might be good for children’s mental health nationwide. Ways to do this include going to parks, joining urban forest programs, and supporting protection of natural areas.
