Community Greening to Grow Healthy Children: Parks, Obesity, and Beyond

Transcription

1 Community Greening to Grow Healthy Children: Parks, Obesity, and Beyond Frances E. (Ming) Kuo University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign COC San Diego, 2011

2 Brought to you by COC, NRPA Andrea Faber Taylor Rebekah Coley, Liesette Brunson, Stephen DePooter, Malen Bacaicoa, Ann Schlosser, ByoungSuk Kweon, Angela Wiley, Irene Miles, Lisa Canin, William Sullivan, Johanna Weber, XiaoYing Wang US Forest Service and NUCFAC, CREES US HUD

3 Greening and Obesity Beyond parks

4 Greening and Obesity The larger context

5 Greening and Obesity Beyond parks

6 Research has focused on parks, exercise Places for intentional physical activity Findings are mixed New focus: barriers, quality of greenspace

7 But parks, exercise are not the whole picture stealth exercise, incidental physical activity Informal play, monmotorized transport Findings in this area are promising

8 More-than-parks measures predict Time outdoors physical activity 2.5x Cooper et al, 2010 Time outdoors physical activity, reduced overweight Cleland et al, 2009 NDVI residential greenness obesity Liu et al 2007, Bell et al 2008

9 Where physical activity occurs Parks 5-10% parks Roads 6-20% Gardens 16-27% Grasslands (rural) 18% Farmlands (rural) 22% Jones et al 09; similar findings in Bringolf-Isler 2010

10 Greenness and time outdoors Humans, including kids, are phytotropic Green common spaces used 2x as much Coley et al 1998

11 Implications: Greening and Obesity Need to include sites of informal, stealth physical activity; need more GPS work Need to look at how to increase PA in those sites (e.g. malls, streets) Opportunities for activity-friendly env ts without buying land

12 Greening and Obesity The larger context

13 Are green environments essential to a healthy human habitat?

14 Are green environments essential to a healthy human habitat? Why would we ask?

15 Hints from ethology, zoo/lab animals Habitat selection theory -- mobile organisms will prefer fit habitats If you want to know what constitutes a fit habitat for an organism, see what habitats it likes What environments do humans prefer?

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19 Humans prefer environments incorporating natural/green elements 25 years of landscape preference research A strong and ubiquitous finding

20 Humans prefer environments incorporating natural/green elements 25 years of landscape preference research A strong and ubiquitous finding Green environments may be essential to a healthy human habitat

21 Are green environments essential to a healthy human habitat?

22 Are green environments essential to a healthy human habitat? How would we tell?

23 More hints from ethology Organisms are tuned to their environments in subtle and profound ways Organisms housed in unfit habitats undergo social, psychological, and physical breakdown

24 If green env ts are essential components of a healthy human habitat, then Humans deprived of them will undergo social, psychological, and physical breakdown

25 Robert Taylor Homes without greenspace Robert Taylor Homes with greenspace

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29 Are green environments essential to a healthy human habitat? Specific findings

30 Signs of breakdown Social Breakdown

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32 Signs of breakdown Social Breakdown Strength of community Courtesy, mutual support Supervision of children outdoors Loneliness Graffiti, noise, litter Loitering, illegal activity, property crime Aggression, violence Violent Crime

33 Signs of breakdown Social Breakdown Strength of community Courtesy, mutual support (interpersonal behavior) Supervision of children outdoors Loneliness Graffiti, noise, litter (delinquent behavior) Loitering, illegal activity, property crime Aggression, violence Violent Crime

34 Signs of breakdown Psychological Breakdown

35 Signs of breakdown Psychological Breakdown Attention Academic achievement Addressing major life challenges, resilience Impulse control Delay of gratification AD/HD symptoms Clinical depression, anxiety disorders

36 Signs of breakdown Psychological Breakdown Attention Academic achievement Addressing major life challenges, resilience Impulse control Delay of gratification AD/HD symptoms Clinical depression, anxiety disorders*

37 Signs of breakdown Physical Breakdown

38 Signs of breakdown Physical Breakdown Poorer recovery from surgery Self-reported physical health Immune functioning Mortality Blood glucose in diabetic persons Obesity Asthma Physician diagnoses of disease

39 Signs of breakdown Physical Breakdown Poorer recovery from surgery Self-reported physical health Immune functioning Mortality Blood glucose in diabetic persons Obesity Asthma Physician diagnoses of disease*

40 Are green environments essential to a healthy human habitat? How strong is the evidence?

41 Many, diverse health outcomes

42 Many, diverse health outcomes Digit Span Backwards, SDMT, creativity, impulse control (Matching Familiar Figures, Category Matching, Stroop), delay of gratification, reaction times, aggression and violence, incidents of selfmutilation, psychological distress, life satisfaction, job satisfaction, residential satisfaction, mood, blood pressure, heart rate, ADHD symptoms, mortality, self-reported health, health symptoms, use of health care services, cardiac health, Beck Depression Inventory

43 Many, diverse research designs and exposures to nature

44 Many, diverse research designs and exposures to nature window view from home (% natural), # trees in view from home, ecological restoration volunteering, gardening, recreational activities in nature, photos of nature, paintings of nature, nature sounds, videos of nature walks, actual nature walks, vacations in natural and other settings, greenness of residential landscape, %age natural in 1 km radius, #parks and public greenspaces in GIS, skyview occlusion

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49 Many, diverse populations

50 Many, diverse populations college sophomores, children 5-18 years old, older adults, much older adults, urban public housing residents, Americans, Japanese, Dutch people, individuals with ADHD, individuals with Alzheimer s, children in residential treatment facilities for conduct disorders, incarcerated prisoners, cholecystectomy patients, urban, rural, suburban, small town residents

51 Green environments are essential to a healthy human habitat Emergent themes and implications

52 When we green children s environments to fight obesity Parks and open space Neighborhoods, streets, schools and anywhere else children spend time

53 When we green children s environments to fight obesity We are also improving their academic achievement and capacity for self-discipline Reducing clinical anxiety, depression, ADHD (and probably delinquent behavior, asthma, and other diseases) And making their parents and grandparents healthier as well

54 Green environments are essential to a healthy human habitat Is anyone listening?

55 Policymakers are listening City of Chicago: $USD 10 M tree planting; Green Urban Design metrics US Conference of Mayors Urban Forestry Resolution American Society of Landscape Architects Sustainable Sites Initiative (LEED-style credit system)

56 Chicago Tribune $USD10 M tree-planting 20,000 trees -- more than ever in Chicago s history growing evidence trees can help temper social ills

57 US Conf of Mayors Resolution in support of urban and community forestry