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Associations between urban greenspace and depressive symptoms in Mexico's cities using different greenspace metrics
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Associations between urban greenspace and depressive symptoms in Mexico's cities using different greenspace metrics

Maryia Bakhtsiyarava, Yang Ju, Mika Moran, Daniel A. Rodríguez, Iryna Dronova, Xavier Delclòs-Alió, Kari Moore, Marianela Castillo-Riquelme and Cecilia Anza-Ramirez
Applied geography (Sevenoaks), v 164, 103219
Mar 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103219
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103219View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Depressive symptoms Greenness Mexico Urban health
Greenspace has been shown to be positively associated with mental wellbeing, but studies from the global South have been scarce. We advance the understanding of the relationship between greenspace and depressive symptoms by using multiple clearly defined metrics describing neighborhood greenness and urban parks in an understudied region with rapid urban growth. We linked individual-level health survey data for urban residents in Mexico (n = 17,258 respondents in 84 cities) with measures of greenspace such as satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), percent green area, urban parks characteristics, and kernel-density-derived continuous greenspace indicator. We estimated the odds ratios of experiencing depressive symptoms associated with greenspace at residential neighborhoods adjusted for individual and area-level characteristics. Among the various measures of greenspace investigated, the amount of greenness measured by neighborhood NDVI was associated with smaller odds of depressive symptoms. An increase by one standard deviation in the median of annual maximum NDVI at neighborhood level is associated with 8.7 % (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.913, 95 % CI 0.853–0.977) lower odds of experiencing depressive symptoms, adjusted for individual and area-level characteristics. We find some evidence that, when neighborhood-level greenness is accounted for, the broader availability of greenspace outside of the neighborhood may be associated with smaller odds of depressive symptoms. We found no statistically significant associations for the measures describing % greenspace in a neighborhood and urban parks, and the results were not sensitive to seasonal changes in greenness. Neighborhood-level particulate matter (PM2.5) may lessen the benefits of greenspace for depressive symptoms. Higher neighborhood-level greenness as measured by NDVI is associated with smaller odds of depressive symptoms in Mexico's cities, whereas many other metrics are not. The influence of the choice of greenspace metrics on the subsequent associations highlights the importance of clear operational definitions of greenspace and the need to consider multiple complementary greenspace metrics in greenspace-health research. •Cities in the global South are severely underrepresented in research on greenspace and human wellbeing.•We investigate associations between different greenspace metrics and depressive symptoms in 84 Mexico's cities.•The metrics include a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), % greenspace, urban park characteristics, and a kernel-density-derived continuous greenspace indicator.•Neighborhood greenness as measured by NDVI was associated with smaller odds of depressive symptoms.•No associations for % greenspace in a neighborhood and urban parks were found.•We highlight the importance of considering multiple complementary greenspace metrics in greenspace-health research.

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12 Record Views
11 citations in Web of Science
7 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Geography
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