ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2015
Access to green space, physical activity and mental health: a twin study.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 113 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
113 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Does the biodiversity of urban green spaces impact on human health? A systematic review of literature.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Socioeconomic inequalities in exposure to neighbourhood environments for physical activity: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Pooled it
- Greenspace exposure and associated health outcomes: a systematic review of reviews.F1000Research · 2024Pooled it
- Is Greenness Associated with Dementia? A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis.Current environmental health reports · 2022Pooled it
- Air Pollution (Particulate Matter) Exposure and Associations with Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Psychosis and Suicide Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Environmental health perspectives · 2019Pooled it
- Horticultural Therapy Reduces Biomarkers of Immunosenescence and Inflammaging in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Feasibility Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2021Trial
- Effects of social determinants of health on the landscape of kidney disease.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2026Review
- The association between community environment and depression among Chinese older adults: an age-stratified analysis of the dual mediation pathways of aging anxiety and social adaptation stress.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- An acute intervention experimental study on the effects of green and blue environment exposure combined with tai chi exercise on the emotional health of elderly males.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Exploring the pathways between green space and blue space, and cognitive function in later life: a mediation analysis in Northern Ireland.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- A unified framework integrating psychology and geography.Nature human behaviour · 2025Review
- Maternal awareness, attitudes, and practices relating to green spaces and their impact on child health in Sunyani, Ghana.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- The Association between Multiple Environmental Exposures and Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in a Prospective, US-Based Cohort Study.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
- The Physical Activity Environment, Nature-Relatedness and Wellbeing.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Benefits of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis's floral volatile components on human emotions and moods.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Grassroots mobilization for a just, green urban future: Building community infrastructure against green gentrification and displacement.Journal of urban affairs · 2025Article
- Access to land and nature as health determinants: a qualitative analysis exploring meaningful human-nature relationships among Indigenous youth in central Canada.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Feeling Connected to Nature Attenuates the Association between Complicated Grief and Mental Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Neighborhood built environment, obesity, and diabetes: A Utah siblings study.SSM - population health · 2024Article
53 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIncreasing global urbanisation has resulted in a greater proportion of the world's population becoming exposed to risk factors unique to urban areas, and understanding these effects on public health is essential. The aim of this study was to examine the association between access to green space and mental health among adult twin pairs.
methodsWe used a multilevel random intercept model of same-sex twin pairs (4338 individuals) from the community-based University of Washington Twin Registry to analyse the association between access to green space, as measured by the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index and self-reported depression, stress, and anxiety. The main parameter of interest was the within-pair effect for identical (monozygotic, MZ) twins because it was not subject to confounding by genetic or shared childhood environment factors. Models were adjusted for income, physical activity, neighbourhood deprivation and population density.
resultsWhen treating twins as individuals and not as members of a twin pair, green space was significantly inversely associated with each mental health outcome. The association with depression remained significant in the within-pair MZ univariate and adjusted models; however, there was no within-pair MZ effect for stress or anxiety among the models adjusted for income and physical activity.
conclusionsThese results suggest that greater access to green space is associated with less depression, but provide less evidence for effects on stress or anxiety. Understanding the mechanisms linking neighbourhood characteristics to mental health has important public health implications. Future studies should combine twin designs and longitudinal data to strengthen causal inference.
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