ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2016
The association between green space and depressive symptoms in pregnant women: moderating roles of socioeconomic status and physical activity.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 115 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
115 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
- Association between green space exposure and elderly health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic Review of Nature-Based Interventions for Perinatal Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness.Maternal and child health journal · 2024Pooled it
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Associations between Green and Blue Spaces and Birth Outcomes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes.Environmental research · 2018Pooled it
- Exploring How Neighborhood Environment Perceptions Moderate the Health Benefits of Movement Behaviors Among Latinos in Los Angeles.American journal of health promotion : AJHP · 2025Trial
- Effect of Greening Vacant Land on Mental Health of Community-Dwelling Adults: A Cluster Randomized Trial.JAMA network open · 2018Trial
- Urban tree canopy fragmentation and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Associations of Pre-Pregnancy and Prenatal Outdoor Nighttime Light, Green Space and Neighbourhood Walkability With Preterm Birth: Results From Ruian Birth Cohort Study.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2026Article
- How nature nurtures: prenatal exposure to green space buffers the effects of maternal stress on neonatal BDNF methylation.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- The Impact of Outdoor Physical Activities on the Health of Pregnant Women: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Maternal Depression Mediated the Association Between Moderate Income Inequality and Physical Aggression in Five Year Old Children.Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent · 2025Article
- Prenatal exposure to residential greenness, fetal growth, and birth outcomes: a cohort study in New York City.American journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Early-life residential greenness and sleep disturbances in preschoolers across 551 cities of China.Eco-Environment & Health · 2025Article
- Optimal Gestational Weight Gain and Fetal Growth in Urban Environments: The Role of Residential Greenness.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2025Article
- The Association of Exposure to Urban Greenspace and Depression in Women.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2025Article
- Identifying the critical windows and joint effects of greenness and particulate matter exposures for preterm birth: a retrospective study across Guangdong Province in China from 2014 to 2018.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Associations among parental mental health, lifestyle factors and infant mortality in rural and urban mothers.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- A Multilevel Framework for the Promotion of Maternal Mental Health and Well-Being During the Perinatal Period.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- Protocol: Applying co-production and peer research approaches with community organisations to develop a blueprint for the centre for Co-Production and Peer Research (CoPPeR) network.NIHR open research · 2025Article
55 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
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe current study explored the association between green space and depression in a deprived, multiethnic sample of pregnant women, and examined moderating and mediating variables.
method7547 women recruited to the 'Born in Bradford' cohort completed a questionnaire during pregnancy. A binary measure of depressive symptoms was calculated using a validated survey. Two green space measures were used: quintiles of residential greenness calculated using the normalised difference vegetation index for three neighbourhood sizes (100, 300 and 500 m buffer zones around participant addresses); access to major green spaces estimated as straight line distance between participant address and nearest green space (>0.5 hectares). Logistic regression analyses examined relationships between green space and depressive symptoms, controlling for ethnicity, demographics, socioeconomic status (SES) and health behaviours. Multiplicative interactions explored variations by ethnic group, SES or activity levels. Mediation analysis assessed indirect effects via physical activity.
resultsPregnant women in the greener quintiles were 18-23% less likely to report depressive symptoms than those in the least green quintile (for within 100 m of green space buffer zone). The green space-depressive symptoms association was significant for women with lower education or who were active. Physical activity partially mediated the association of green space, but explained only a small portion of the direct effect.
conclusionsHigher residential greenness was associated with a reduced likelihood of depressive symptoms. Associations may be stronger for more disadvantaged groups and for those who are already physically active. Improving green space is a promising intervention to reduce risk of depression in disadvantaged groups.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.