Investigating equitable access to greenspace during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for children's mental health in Durham, North Carolina

Headnote

Abstract

Past research suggests positive correlations between time spent outdoors and better mental health in children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers predicted that limitations on social gathering could have lasting impacts on childrens mental well-being. We hypothesized that protective guidelines set in place to prevent COVID-19 infection would decrease childrens time spent in greenspaces, adversely impacting mental well-being. We also investigated changes in childrens time spent outdoors during the pandemic, the social and structural barriers to accessing local greenspaces, and the potential impacts on childrens mental health in Durham, North Carolina, USA. An online survey was distributed via parent Facebook groups to collect data (n = 95 children). The Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) was used as a proxy for indicating childrens mental well-being. Most parents indicated a change in the amount of time spent outside during the pandemic. Children who spent more time outdoors in general, and children who spent more time outdoors during the pandemic, had lower PSC scores, indicating better mental well-being. When examining barriers to greenspace access, we observed no difference in the walkability index between higher- and lowerincome zip codes. We did find that those residing in lower-income zip codes indicated more safety concerns about greenspaces particularly related to criminal activity. However, we found that the distribution of PSC scores was lower for children living in lower-income zip codes compared to higher-income zip codes, suggesting better mental well-being. Cumulatively, our results indicate that time spent outdoors has positive impacts on childrens mental health.

Keywords: Greenspace, COVID-19, children, mental health, Durham, North Carolina, socioeconomic barriers, walkability

Introduction

Greenspace is defined as space including grass, trees, or other vegetation that has been separated for recreational purposes within urban and suburban environments (1). A growing body of literature indicates that positive correlations exist between access to greenspace and greater mental well-being in children (2-5). Past studies have found that access to greenspace can have beneficial behavioral impacts on children, including improving attention, lessening health consequences of stress, and mitigating some symptoms of hyperactivity, in addition to overall improved physical and mental health outcomes (4, 5). More specifically, providing access to areas where children can interact with nature and peers has been suggested as an intervention to improve the mental well-being of children living...