Parks are for more than play. A new study links green spaces to healthy bodies—and minds.
Excerpts:
A new study found that inner-city kids living in neighborhoods with more green space gained about 13% less weight over a two-year period than kids living amid more concrete and fewer trees.
…The new research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, isn't the first to associate greenery with better health, but it does get us closer to identifying what works and why.
…But green space is good for the mind too; research by environmental psychologists has shown that it has cognitive benefits for children with attention-deficit/ hyper activity disorder (ADHD). In one study, simply reading outside in a green setting improved kids' symptoms.
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Wendy Loya, Ph.D.
Dr. Wendy Loya joined The Wilderness Society in 2006 as our Alaska Region Ecologist. Her work focuses primarily on climate change and northern ecosystems. An overarching objective of her work is understanding how the cumulative impacts of climate change and industrial development can be quantified to achieve a better understanding of future ecosystem health and potential mitigation solutions.
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