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dc.contributor.authorAlcock, I
dc.contributor.authorWhite, MP
dc.contributor.authorWheeler, BW
dc.contributor.authorFleming, Lora E.
dc.contributor.authorDepledge, MH
dc.date.accessioned2014-06-23T10:23:20Z
dc.date.issued2014-01-21
dc.description.abstractDespite growing evidence of public health benefits from urban green space there has been little longitudinal analysis. This study used panel data to explore three different hypotheses about how moving to greener or less green areas may affect mental health over time. The samples were participants in the British Household Panel Survey with mental health data (General Health Questionnaire scores) for five consecutive years, and who relocated to a different residential area between the second and third years (n = 1064; observations = 5320). Fixed-effects analyses controlled for time-invariant individual level heterogeneity and other area and individual level effects. Compared to premove mental health scores, individuals who moved to greener areas (n = 594) had significantly better mental health in all three postmove years (P = .015; P = .016; P = .008), supporting a "shifting baseline" hypothesis. Individuals who moved to less green areas (n = 470) showed significantly worse mental health in the year preceding the move (P = .031) but returned to baseline in the postmove years. Moving to greener urban areas was associated with sustained mental health improvements, suggesting that environmental policies to increase urban green space may have sustainable public health benefits.en_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipEuropean Regional Development Fund 2007-2013en_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipEuropean Social Fund Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scillyen_GB
dc.description.sponsorshipEconomic and Social Research Councilen_GB
dc.identifier.citationEnvironmental Science and Technology, 2014, Vol. 48, Issue 2, pp. 1247 - 1255en_GB
dc.identifier.doi10.1021/es403688w
dc.identifier.grantnumberES/K002872/1en_GB
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10871/15080
dc.language.isoenen_GB
dc.publisherAmerican Chemical Societyen_GB
dc.relation.urlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24320055en_GB
dc.relation.urlhttp://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es403688wen_GB
dc.rights© 2013 American Chemical Society. CC-BY. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. For the terms of use, visit http://pubs.acs.org/page/policy/authorchoice_ccby_termsofuse.htmlen_GB
dc.titleLongitudinal effects on mental health of moving to greener and less green urban areasen_GB
dc.typeArticleen_GB
dc.date.available2014-06-23T10:23:20Z
dc.identifier.issn0013-936X
exeter.place-of-publicationUnited States
dc.descriptionThis is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.en_GB
dc.identifier.journalEnvironmental Science and Technologyen_GB


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