Green Spaces Reduce Health Gap

The study, published in The Lancet, suggests that even small parks in urban areas can protect us from strokes, heart disease and perhaps even reduce stress.

It will have implications for the future of urban planning in the UK and beyond, and should be used to encourage councils and local authorities to introduce and protect green spaces in our cities.

Across Europe, there are huge health inequalities related to income and social deprivation, which generally reflect differences in lifestyle, diet and, in some cases, access to medical care. This has the effect that, in general. people living in poorer areas are more likely to be unhealthy, and have a shorter life expectancy.

The release of this new study means that access to green, open spaces is another determinant of public health. When the records of more than 366,000 people who died between 2001 and 2005 were analysed, it was apparent that even tiny green spaces in the areas in which they lived made a big difference to their risk of fatal disease. The change was particularly clear in areas such as heart disease and stroke, lending support to the theory that the presence of green spaces encourages people to be more active.

The findings imply that environments promoting good health could be crucial in the fight to reduce health inequalities. The research team called upon local authorities to consider allowing for more green spaces in their urban planning policy.

Parks and green spaces do more than make an area attractive, they appear to have real positive effects on the health of the population and can be a real tool for reducing health inequalities.

For more information

The Lancet