Neighbourhood socio-economic disadvantage and loneliness: the contribution of green space quantity and quality
Open Access
- 30 March 2023
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Public Health
- Vol. 23 (1), 1-17
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15433-0
Abstract
Disadvantaged areas experience higher levels of loneliness than advantaged areas, though studies rarely identify environmental determinants of neighbourhood inequity in loneliness. We studied the contribution of the quantity and quality of green space to neighbourhood inequity in loneliness in three buffer sizes (400 m, 800 m, 1600 m), using cross-sectional data from 3778 individuals aged 48–77 years old living in 200 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia. Levels of loneliness were significantly higher in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and these neighbourhoods had less green space and less access to quality green space. However, there was no evidence that neighbourhood disparities in green space contributed to the association between neighbourhood disadvantage and loneliness. Possible methodological and substantive reasons for this result are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 103 references indexed in Scilit:
- Impediments to Comprehensive Research on Climate Change and HealthInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2013
- Associations of neighborhood characteristics with active park use: an observational study in two cities in the USA and BelgiumInternational Journal of Health Geographics, 2013
- Loneliness, health, and mortality in old age: A national longitudinal studySocial Science & Medicine (1982), 2012
- Associations Between Recreational Walking and Attractiveness, Size, and Proximity of Neighborhood Open SpacesAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2010
- HABITAT: A longitudinal multilevel study of physical activity change in mid-aged adultsBMC Public Health, 2009
- Association of Park Size, Distance, and Features With Physical Activity in Neighborhood ParksAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2008
- The built environment and collective efficacyHealth & Place, 2008
- The Relation between Neighborhood Built Environment and Walking Activity among Older AdultsAmerican Journal of Epidemiology, 2008
- Green space, urbanity, and health: how strong is the relation?Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2006
- A Short Scale for Measuring Loneliness in Large SurveysResearch on Aging, 2004