Association between Urban Greenness and Depressive Symptoms: Evaluation of Greenness Using Various Indicators

Hyeonjin Song, Kevin James Lane, Honghyok Kim, Hyomi Kim, Garam Byun, Minh Le, Yongsoo Choi, Chan Ryul Park and Jong-Tae Lee
Additional contact information
Hyeonjin Song: Urban Forests Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Korea
Kevin James Lane: School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Honghyok Kim: BK21PLUS Program in ‘Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction’, Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Hyomi Kim: BK21PLUS Program in ‘Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction’, Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Garam Byun: BK21PLUS Program in ‘Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction’, Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Minh Le: BK21PLUS Program in ‘Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction’, Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Yongsoo Choi: BK21PLUS Program in ‘Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction’, Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
Chan Ryul Park: Urban Forests Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Korea
Jong-Tae Lee: BK21PLUS Program in ‘Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction’, Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: An increasing number of studies have suggested benefits of greenness exposure on mental health. We examined the association between urban greenness and depressive symptoms in adults in the general population living in the seven major cities in Korea ( N = 65,128). Using data from the Korean Community Health Survey 2009, depressive symptoms were measured on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Greenness was assessed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and land-use data (forest area and forest volume). Logistic regression models were fitted to adjust for potential confounders. Individuals in regions with the highest NDVI (quartile 4) had the lowest odds for depressive symptoms compared to quartile 1, after adjusting for potential confounders (OR = 0.813; 95% CI: 0.747, 0.884). For all greenness indicators except for forest area per district area (%), the highest rate of depressive symptoms was found for the individuals in the lowest quartile of greenness (quartile 1) and the lowest rate of depressive symptoms for those in the highest quartile of greenness (quartile 4). We found an inverse association between urban greenness and depressive symptoms, which was consistent across a variety of greenness indicators. Our study suggests health benefits of greenness and could provide a scientific basis for policy making and urban planning.

Keywords: urban greenness; depressive symptoms; logistic regression; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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