Residential greenness and children's mental health: results from the ELFE cohort
Several studies suggest that living in a greener environment is associated with better mental health in children. Residential greenness may promote calm, reduce stress, encourage outdoor play and physical activity, and provide opportunities for social contact. It may also mitigate certain urban nuisances such as noise and air pollution. Furthermore, it is still unclear whether all children benefit equally from greenery. It is possible that the effects are more pronounced in children from disadvantaged families, for whom the immediate environment plays a more central role in daily life.
In this context, this study drew on a large cohort of children born in France. It aimed to examine how changes in the amount of greenness around the home are linked to children's emotional and behavioral difficulties, and to determine whether these associations vary according to family income level.
This study revealed that children who had been exposed to more residential greenness between birth and age 5 had fewer internalizing problems, particularly fewer relationship problems with other children, according to observations by their parents and teachers. It should be noted that these associations were only observed in children from low-income families, with no clear trend observed in high-income families. Furthermore, greater greenness was also associated with higher levels of hyperactivity/inattention reported by parents, while no consistent or significant trend was observed in teachers' reports.