Matilda van den bosch, Researcher

If you want your child to hit their expected developmental milestones, then new UBC research suggests that living in areas with high exposure to greenspace can help set them up for success.For the study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, researchers at the UBC faculty of forestry and faculty of medicine analyzed the developmental scores of 27,372 children in Metro Vancouver who attended kindergarten between 2005 and 2011.They estimated the amount of green space around each child's residence from birth to age five. They also assessed levels of traffic-related air pollution and community noise. The results highlight the fundamental importance of natural green spaces like street trees, parks and community gardens, authors say."Most of the children were doing well in their development, in terms of language skills, cognitive capacity, socialization and other outcomes," says study author Ingrid Jarvis (she/her), a PhD candidate in the department of forest and conservation sciences at UBC. "But what's interesting is that those children living in a residential location with more vegetation and richer natural environments showed better overall development than their peers with less greenspace."According to the researchers, the reason for this is partly greenspaces' ability to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution and noise--environmental challenges that have been shown to adversely affect children's health and development through increased stress, sleep disturbances and central nervous system damage."Few studies have investigated this pathway linking greenspace and developmental outcomes among children, and we believe this is the first Canadian study to do so," adds Jarvis.The researchers assessed early childhood development using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a survey completed by kindergarten teachers for each child. The tool measures a child's ability to meet age-appropriate developmental expectations."More research is needed, but our findings suggest that urban planning efforts to increase greenspace in residential neighborhoods and around schools are beneficial for early childhood development, with potential health benefits throughout life," says the study's senior author and UBC research associate, Matilda van den Bosch (she/her)."Time in nature can benefit everyone, but if we want our children to have a good head start, it's important to provide an enriching environment through nature contact. Access to greenspace from a very young age can help ensure good social, emotional and mental development among children."( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

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Matilda Van Den BoschFOLLOW

Matilda van den bosch, Latest News

Health :Researchers assert children with high exposure to air pollution have greater risk of ADHD

According to a recent study led by Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) researchers, children living in areas with higher air pollution and lower level of green space might have up to a 62 per cent increase risk of developing ADHD. ...

Health :Children with high exposure to air pollution have greater risk of ADHD: Study

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopment disorders occurring in children. According to a new study led by Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) researchers, children living in areas with higher air pollution and lower level of green ...

Lifestyle :Study suggests spending time in nature promotes early childhood development

If you want your child to hit their expected developmental milestones, then new UBC research suggests that living in areas with high exposure to greenspace can help set them up for success. ...