I live in the Emerald City (aka Seattle), where parks and other green spaces are as plentiful as Starbucks (on second thought, is anything as plentiful as Starbucks?). But in our neighborhood, you don't see nearly as much green, and we actually have to bundle the kids into the car if we want to take a stroll through a park. This lack of local green space is certainly an inconvenience. But a new study suggests it might also be a health risk.

Having few green areas nearby may actually increase the risk of depression and other health problems, the study reports. The researchers pulled data from the health records of nearly 350,000 people across the Netherlands, and tracked how often patients were diagnosed with 24 different disease types. They then mapped how much green space was in the patients' neighborhoods by using postal codes and land-use data.

Overall, they found that people living within 1 kilometer (six-tenths of a mile) of more extensive green space had lower rates of 15 out of the 24 disease types, including asthma and other breathing problems, diabetes, severe intestinal complaints, and neck and back problems. But the link was strongest for depression and anxiety. For example, depression affected 32 in 1,000 people in areas with only 10 percent green space. But this dropped to 24 in 1,000 people in areas with 90 percent green space.

Children and people with low levels of education and income seemed especially likely to benefit from having more green space nearby. This may be because both groups tend to spend more time close to home.
The study didn't explore why living near ample green space might improve a person's health outlook, but several factors may be at work, including better air quality, and more outdoor spaces for relaxation, socializing, and exercise.