According to researchers from Aarhus University, the risk of developing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be lower among children who reside in regions with more green environmental surroundings.
Their new findings appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
The study included young participants born in Denmark from 1992 through 2007. A follow-up diagnosis of ADHD was initiated by age five.
The participants who resided in areas with less defined green vegetation were at a higher risk of developing ADHD.
“We investigated the association between green space and ADHD at three additional proximities. We used exposure zones of 330m×330m, 570m×570m and 930m×930m quadratic areas of exposure and found that children living in areas having the lowest level of NDVI had an increased risk of ADHD compared with children living in areas having the highest level of NDVI,” wrote Malene Thygesen, and colleagues, in their journal report.
“Our findings suggest that lower levels of green space in residential surroundings, during early childhood, may be associated with a higher risk of developing ADHD.”
Past studies of green space and psychological well-being have yielded similar beneficiary effects for other mental health adversities.
