ArticlePloS one2022
Perceptions of green space usage, abundance, and quality of green space were associated with better mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among residents of Denver.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Investigation of Epistemic Equity in Urban Green Space and Mental Health Research: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Pooled it
- Urban Green Space and Subjective Well-Being of Older People: A Systematic Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Do maternal self-reported socio-demographic and green space characteristics influence neonatal birth weight? Evidence from Ghana.Maternal health, neonatology and perinatology · 2026Article
- The Therapeutic Home Environment for Chronic Diseases: A Transdisciplinary Ecosystem for Achieving Migraine Freedom and Managing Comorbid Anxiety, Insomnia, and Chronic Pain.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Trends in greenspace use, socioeconomic inequalities and mental health benefits following COVID-19 from 2020 to 2025: a four-wave repeat cross-sectional study of UK adults.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Nature-based physical activity in breast cancer survivors: a new frontier in supportive care.Oncology reviews · 2026Article
- Economic shocks, food insufficiency and mental health: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic.PloS one · 2026Article
- Neighborhood greenspace visits and mental health: insights from mobility data across nine U.S. metropolitan areas.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Exploring the complex associations between community public spaces and healthy aging: an explainable analysis using catboost and SHAP.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Green space attributes and their impact on perceived stress in Poland.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Outdoor recreation's association with mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.PloS one · 2025Article
- Residential greenness and reduced depression during COVID-19: Longitudinal evidence from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.PloS one · 2025Article
- Is greenspace in the eye of the beholder? Exploring perceived and objective greenspace exposure effects on mental health.Journal of environmental psychology · 2024Article
- Do environmental attitudes and personal characteristics influence how people perceive their exposure to green spaces?Landscape and urban planning · 2024Article
- Anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among early adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of adolescence · 2024Article
- Public perception vs ecological quality status: Examining the ecological restoration of the Congost River's Environment.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Perceived built environment as a mediator linking objective built environment and leisure-time physical activity in Chinese cities.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- The direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of confined youth.Health & justice · 2024Article
- Geospatial Science for the Environmental Epidemiology of Cancer in the Exposome Era.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2024Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both physical and mental health. This study aimed to understand whether exposure to green space buffered against stress and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic while taking into account significant stressors of the pandemic.
methodsWe leveraged a cross-sectional survey on green space exposure and mental health among residents of Denver, CO that ran from November 2019 through January 2021. We measured objective green space as the average NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) from aerial imagery within 300m and 500m of the participant's residence. Perceived green space was measured through Likert scores on five questions about vegetation near the home that captured perceived abundance, visibility, access, usage, and quality of green space. We used generalized linear models to assess the relationship between each green space exposure variable and perceived stress (PSS-4), depression (CES-D-10), or anxiety (MMPI-2) adjusted for sociodemographic and COVID-19 impact variables.
resultsWe found significantly higher depression scores for all covid periods compared to the "before covid" period, and significantly higher anxiety scores during the "fall wave" compared to earlier periods. Adjusted for sociodemographic and pandemic stressors, we found that spending a lot of time in green space (usage) was significantly associated with lower anxiety and depression. We also observed significantly lower depression scores associated with NDVI in both buffers (objective abundance) and significantly lower anxiety scores with perceived abundance of green space. There was some evidence of lower anxiety scores for people reporting having high quality green spaces near the home (quality). We did not observe significant associations for any green space metric and perceived stress after adjustment for confounding variables.
conclusionOur work provides further evidence of mental health benefits associated with green space exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic even after adjustment for sociodemographic variables and significant pandemic-related stressors.
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