Greener neighborhoods linked to lower depression in older adults during the pandemic

A new national study led by researchers from Carleton University and the University of Toronto reveals that older adults living in greener neighborhoods were less likely to experience depression during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using data from over 13,000 urban-dwelling participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), researchers found that access to nearby green spaces – from public parks and playing fields to tree canopy cover and private gardens along neighbourhood streets – may act as a mental health buffer, especially for those without a prior history of depression, those with fewer economic resources and those with mobility limitations.

The study uncovered four main findings.

Urban areas with more vegetation were associated with lower rates of depression during the Pandemic. People who were not depressed before COVID-19 but lived in greener neighborhoods were significantly less likely to develop depression.

“Urban greenery wasn’t just a backdrop – it played a protective mental health role in one of the most stressful global events in recent history,” said Dr. Paul J. Villeneuve, lead author and Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Canada.

Living in green neighborhoods was especially protective for lower-income Canadians. The mental health benefits of residential greenness, which was determined by satellite data, were more pronounced among people with lower wealth – especially those who were not previously depressed.

“Our findings suggest that green spaces may have played a modest, yet meaningful, role in supporting the mental well-being of lower-income Canadians during the pandemic, offering some relief amid deepening socio-economic inequities,” said co-author Susanna Abraham Cottagiri, doctoral candidate at the School of Medicine at Queen’s University.

People with mobility challenges gained more from living in greener neighbourhoods. Among individuals without pre-existing depression, those with mobility issues saw stronger benefits from greenness – possibly because their access to more distant green spaces were restricted.

“When mobility is limited, the greenery right outside your door may play a particularly important role in supporting mental health and well-being,” said co-author Dr. Ying Jiang, Senior Epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Canada.

People who, prior to the pandemic, had rarely visited places in their neighbourhood outside their own yard saw a greater protective effect from living in greener neighbourhoods during the pandemic. The less one ventured out prior to the pandemic, the more the presence of greenery and green spaces in their neighbourhood positively impacted their mental health during the pandemic.

“It appears that the psychological value of green space may increase when social connections are restricted,” said Dr. Margaret de Groh, study co-author.

The authors suggest that the findings call for a rethinking of urban planning and mental health policy in Canada.

“There is a need to expand equitable access to green space, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods, to protect and preserve local greenery, even during public health emergencies, and to integrate green infrastructure into mental health resilience strategies,” said co-author Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and director of the Institute for Life Course & Aging. 

This study is one of the few longitudinal analyses of mental health and green space during the pandemic. The researchers drew on satellite data to assess greenness and determine its link to validated depression measures across two time points: pre-pandemic and six months into the pandemic.

The study also sheds light on under-explored issues, such as how socioeconomic status, mobility limitations, and social behavior influence the mental health benefits of greenery. However, the authors caution that some of the most vulnerable Canadians – such as those in long-term care – were not represented in their sample.