Park Proximity and Use for Physical Activity among Urban Residents: Associations with Mental Health

Stephanie L. Orstad, Kristin Szuhany, Kosuke Tamura, Lorna E. Thorpe and Melanie Jay
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Stephanie L. Orstad: Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation, New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Kristin Szuhany: Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Kosuke Tamura: Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, Cardiovascular Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Lorna E. Thorpe: Department of Population Health, Division of Epidemiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
Melanie Jay: Departments of Medicine and Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-13

Abstract: Increasing global urbanization limits interaction between people and natural environments, which may negatively impact population health and wellbeing. Urban residents who live near parks report better mental health. Physical activity (PA) reduces depression and improves quality of life. Despite PA’s protective effects on mental health, the added benefit of urban park use for PA is unclear. Thus, we examined whether park-based PA mediated associations between park proximity and mental distress among 3652 New York City residents (61.4% 45 + years, 58.9% female, 56.3% non-white) who completed the 2010–2011 Physical Activity and Transit (PAT) random-digit-dial survey. Measures included number of poor mental health days in the previous month (outcome), self-reported time to walk to the nearest park from home (exposure), and frequency of park use for sports, exercise or PA (mediator). We used multiple regression with bootstrap-generated 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (BC CIs) to test for mediation by park-based PA and moderation by gender, dog ownership, PA with others, and perceived park crime. Park proximity was indirectly associated with fewer days of poor mental health via park-based PA, but only among those not concerned about park crime (index of moderated mediation = 0.04; SE = 0.02; 95% BC CI = 0.01, 0.10). Investment in park safety and park-based PA promotion in urban neighborhoods may help to maximize the mental health benefits of nearby parks.

Keywords: neighborhood; urban; greenspace; recreation; safety; crime; depression; quality of life (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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