Exposure to green space tied to lower risk of schizophrenia, study finds

Canada: High exposure to green space in city dwellers is linked to a significantly lower risk of schizophrenia versus counterparts who live in areas having little green space, says a recent study published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. The study showed that people living in areas with lowest levels of green space were 24% more likey to develop schizophrenia. 

Previous studies have shown an association between urbanicity and increased schizophrenia risk, however, the underlying mechanism behind this association is not clear. The study of novel environment factors has been an area of interest. A recent population-based study in Denmark showed that cumulative childhood exposure to green space is a protective factor that reduces schizophrenia risk during adolescence and adulthood.

Against the above background, Martine Rotenberg, Center for Addiction and Mental Health and the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues aimed to explore the association between green space and schizophrenia incidence in a large Canadian urban center after adjusting for known socioenvirnmental risk factors.

For this purpose, the researcher used a retrospective population-based cohort of 649,020 people aged between 14 years to 40 years from different neighborhoods in Toronto, Ontario. Using geospatial data of all public parks and green spaces in the city, green space was calculated, data drawn from Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool.