Regular visits to parksgardens and other urban green spaces may be linked to reduced use of medications by city dwellers for anxiety, insomnia, depression, high blood pressure and asthma, a new study suggests.

Researchers in Finland found that visiting such recreational areas three to four times a week reduced the likelihood of accessing medications for certain mental health problems or high blood pressure by a third, and the likelihood of using asthma medications by a quarter.

The researchers reported that the positive effects of visiting green spaces were more pronounced among those who reported the lowest household incomes.

The findings correlate with a growing body of evidence that lack of access to green spaces is linked to various health problems. Poor communities have fewer opportunities to enjoy nature.

To explore the link, researchers at the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare studied responses from 16,000 randomly selected residents of Helsinki, Espoo and Vatna, the three cities with the highest concentration of urban populations in Finland.

The study collected information about the experiences shared citizens under the age of 25, behind green spaces within a radius of one kilometer from the house. “Green areas” include forests, gardens, parks, cemeteries, zoos, grasslands, swamps and wetlands. At the same time, they also considered responses for the respective coastal fronts facing the sea, as well as areas with lakes and rivers.

Participants were asked to report any use of prescription drugs for anxiety, insomnia, depression, and high blood pressure and asthma. They were then asked how often they spend time or exercise in open green spaces from May to September, with response options ranging from “never” to “five or more times a week.”

The researchers chose prescription drugs as an indicator of poor health. They focused on drugs used to treat common but potentially serious health problems. They found a strong correlation between visiting green spaces and a lower likelihood of using such drugs.

Compared with those who did not attend once a week, visits three to four times were associated with a 33% lower likelihood of using psychotropic medications, a 36% lower likelihood of using blood pressure medication, and a lower likelihood of reducing 26% use of asthma medications.

Surprisingly, however, those who visited green spaces at least five times a week Only 22% less likely to use mental health medication and 24% less likely to use asthma medication. However, frequent visits were associated with a lower likelihood of needing blood pressure medication, with a 41% lower chance than those who visited green spaces less than once a week.

“More and more scientific evidence is accumulating to support the health benefits of our contact with nature,” the researchers write. “This could be a way to improve the health and well-being of city dwellers.”

Their study is published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

Keeper of the Source