Living closer to the outdoors and water sources may reduce the risk of older people suffering from severe psychological distresswhich can lead to mild cognitive impairment and dementiaaccording to a preliminary study presented at the 75th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Serious psychological distress
The researchers defined severe psychological distress as mental health problems that require treatment and have a moderate to severe effect on a person’s ability to participate in work, school, and social situations.
“Given the we lack effective prevention methods or treatments for mild cognitive impairment and dementiawe need to be creative in addressing these issues,” says Solmaz Amiri, of Washington State University Elson S. Floyd School of Medicine, in Spokane, Washington.
“Our hope is that this study showing better mental health among people who live near parks and water sparks other studies into how these benefits work and whether this proximity can help prevent or delay mild cognitive impairment and dementia.” underlines.
Study with more than 40,000 seniors in the US
The study included 42,980 people age 65 and older who lived in urban areas of Washington state. The researchers analyzed data from the United States Census and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine the proximity of participants to green spaces, such as public parks, community gardens, and even cemeteriesand blue, such as lakes, reservoirs, large rivers and coasts.
Participants filled out a questionnaire to assess psychological distress. They answered six questions about how often they felt symptoms of depression and anxiety using a five-point scale ranging from zero, that is, not at all, to four, that is, all the time.
The study questions
Questions included such things as how many days they had been unable to work due to psychological distress, how many days their productivity had been at least halved due to distress, and how many times they had sought professional help. Scores ranged from 0 to 24, with a mean score of 2. Participants who scored above 13 on the test were considered to be in severe psychological distress.
The researchers reported that about 2% of participants suffered severe psychological distress. Of the total number of participants, 70% lived less than 800 meters from a green zone and 60% less than 800 meters from a blue zone.
The benefits of the parks
People who lived less than 800 meters from green or blue spaces had a 17% lower risk of suffering from psychological disorders serious than those who lived more than 800 meters from green or blue spaces.
Of the people who lived within 800 meters of parks and fountains, 1.3% suffered from serious psychological disorders, compared to 1.5% of the people who lived more than 800 meters away.
“Our hope is that this study can help inform future public health policy, from where residential facilities are located to programs to improve mental health outcomes for people living in long-term care facilities or nursing homes,” concludes Amiri.