On this page you can find key pieces of evidence used to create our Making the Most of Green Space for People’s Health guidance. Additional evidence can be found elsewhere on the Beyond Greenspace blog, including links to reports and evidence summaries, published papers by the team at ECEHH and their collaborators, and other forms of useful resources.
KEY REPORTS AND POLICY DOCUMENTS
Policies and positions
- WHO (2017) Urban green spaces: a brief for action. Copenhagen, World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe.
- Public Health England (2020) Improving access to greenspace: A review for 2020 (pdf)
- DEFRA (2018) 25 Year Plan for the Environment HM Government.
- TCPA, NHS, PHE, King’s Fund, Young Foundation (2019) Putting Health into Place.
- Dorset Local Nature Partnerships (2018) Position Paper on Natural Health.
Guidance and evidence
- Public Health England and UWE (2019) Spatial Planning for Health: an evidence resource for planning and designing healthier places.
- H2020 Inherit Project Briefs on integrated governance, behaviour change, and health equity
- Valuing Nature Programme IWUN Project (2019) Policy & Practice Briefs
- NESTA Rethinking Parks National Lottery Community and Heritage Funds
- Public Health England (2020) Using the planning system to promote healthy weight environments TCPA, Sport England, FUSE, RSPH, Canal and River Trust, CEDAR
- Sport England (2015) Designing for Physical Activity: Exploring opportunities to encourage physical activity in everyday life
- Heritage Fund (2020) Space to Thrive
- Marmot, Allen, Boyce, Goldblatt, and Morrison (2020) Health Equity in England: Marmot Review 10 Years
SELECTED SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
Systematic reviews are a robust way of bringing together the evidence on specific topics. They are often more helpful to consider than single research studies alone, as they assess the current pool of knowledge on the topic, and can highlight where there are uncertainties or inconsistencies in the evidence.
On the links between physical health and green and blue spaces
- The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes C Twohig-Bennett, A Jones. Environmental Research, Vol 166, 2018
- The relationship between greenspace and the mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review V Houlden , S Weich, J Porto de Albuquerque , S Jarvis, K Rees , PLOSone, 2018
- Mental health benefits of interactions with nature in children and teenagers: a systematic review S Tillman, D Tobin, W Avison, J Gillilan, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol 72, Issue 10, 2018
- Residential green spaces and mortality: A systematic review. Gascon, M., Triguero-Mas, M., Martínez, D., Dadvand, P., Rojas-Rueda, D., Plasència, A., & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. Environment International, 86, 60-67. 2016
- Outdoor blue spaces, human health and well-being: A systematic review of quantitative studies. Gascon, M., Zijlema, W., Vert, C., White, M. P., & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 220(8):1207-1221. 2017
- The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes. Twohig-Bennett, C., & Jones, A. Environ Res, 166, 628-637. 2018
- Health Benefits of Green Spaces in the Living Environment: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Studies. van den Berg, M., Wendel-Vos, W., van Poppel, M., Kemper, H., van Mechelen, W., & Maas, J. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 14(4), 806-816. 2015
- The effect of short-term exposure to the natural environment on depressive mood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Roberts, H., van Lissa, C., Hagedoorn, P., Kellar, I., & Helbich, M. Environ Res, 177, 108606. 2019
Green space benefits through the life-course
- Long-Term Green Space Exposure and Cognition Across the Life Course: a Systematic Review. de Keijzer, C., Gascon, M., Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J., & Dadvand, P. Current Environmental Health Reports, 3(4), 468-477. 2016
- Mental, physical and social health benefits of immersive nature-experience for children and adolescents: A systematic review and quality assessment of the evidence. Mygind, L., Kjeldsted, E., Hartmeyer, R., Mygind, E., Bølling, M., & Bentsen, P. Health & Place, 58, 102136. 2019
- Mental health benefits of interactions with nature in children and teenagers: a systematic review. Tillmann, S., Tobin, D., Avison, W., & Gilliland, J. (2018). J Epidemiol Community Health, 72(10), 958-966. 2018
- Impact of Green Space Exposure on Children’s and Adolescents’ Mental Health: A Systematic Review. Vanaken, G. J., & Danckaerts, M. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 15(12). 2018
- Long-Term Exposure to Residential Greenspace and Healthy Ageing: a Systematic Review. de Keijzer, C., Bauwelinck, M., & Dadvand, P. Current Environmental Health Reports, 7(1), 65-88, 2020
- The relationship between greenspace and the mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review. Houlden, V., Weich, S., Porto de Albuquerque, J., Jarvis, S., & Rees, K. (2018). Plos One, 13(9), e0203000. 2018
On the design, siting and qualities of green and blue spaces and health
- School Green Space and Its Impact on Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review. Browning, M., & Rigolon, A. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 16(3). 2019
- A systematic review of multi-dimensional quality assessment tools for urban green spaces. Knobel, P., Dadvand, P., & Maneja-Zaragoza, R. Health & Place, 59, 102198. 2019
- Spatial dimensions of the influence of urban green-blue spaces on human health: A systematic review. Labib, S. M., Lindley, S., & Huck, J. J. Environ Res, 180, 108869. 2020
- Public open space characteristics influencing adolescents’ use and physical activity: A systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative studies. Van Hecke, L., Ghekiere, A., Veitch, J., Van Dyck, D., Van Cauwenberg, J., Clarys, P., & Deforche, B. Health & Place, 51, 158-173. 2018
- A systematic review of access to green spaces in healthcare facilities. Weerasuriya, R., Henderson-Wilson, C., & Townsend, M. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 40, 125-132. 2019
Visit other pages of the Making the Most of Green Space for People’s Health guidance guidance
- Summary of Evidence
- How Green space contributes to other agendas for local authorities
- What local authorities can do to enhance the health benefits of green space
- Principles of successful interventions for improving health benefits of green space
- Case Studies
You can download a PDF of the Making the Most of Green Space for Peoples Health guidance from this link.