Natuur en gezondheid. Een verkennend onderzoek naar de relatie tussen volksgezondheid en groen in de leefomgeving
Auteurs
Vries,Sjerp de
Verheij,Robert A.
Groenewegen,Peter P.
Trefwoorden:
ENVIRONMENTAL health
Samenvatting
This paper examines the supposed positive relationship between living in a natural environment and indicators of self-reported health. We used data from large health interview survey and combined them with data on land use within a three kilometre radius around the centre of the neighbourhood where respondents lived. To rule out selection effects of wealthier (and thus healthier,) people living in more attractive (more natural) environments, we controlled for socio-economic background variables. People living in a 'greener' environment report fewer health complaints, have a better perceived general health and a better mental health. The commonly found relationship between urbanicity of the place of residence and indicators of health disappeared after introducing the indicators of land use. On the other hand, the relationship between land use and subjective health was strongest in the middle categories of urbanicity. We did find some evidence of a stronger relationship for fulltime homemakers and elderly persons, who are supposed to spend more time near their homes, but not for children. Finally, the positive association between health and green space seems to exist predominantly among lower socio-economic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Mens en Maatschappij is the property of Amsterdam University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)