The Association Between Natural Environments and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents Living in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Exposure to nature and natural environments may be beneficial for mental health; however, most population-based studies have been conducted among adults whereas few have focused on adolescents. We aimed to investigate the relationship between both greenness (vegetation) and blue space (water), and depressive symptoms among teenagers in the United States.

Methods

The study population included 9,385 participants ages 12-18 in the 1999 wave of the Growing Up Today Study. We characterized greenness exposure using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index at a 250-m and 1,250-m radius around a subject's residence using data from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer onboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Terra satellite. Exposure to blue

SUBMITTER: Bezold CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5963277 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature