The researchers followed 14,800 Bradford residents, British, and found that moving in neighborhoods with higher particle pollution has increased the risk of new prescriptions for depression and anxiety of 11% in one year.
Gary Fuller reports for The guardian
In short:
- The research was based on anonymized health files of the Connected Bradford database, covering more than 800,000 people since 1970, to compare the prescriptions before and after the movements.
- The move in areas with an increase in green spaces corresponded to the discounts of the consumption of drugs in mental health, but only when the parks and the gardens offered safe and welcoming amenities.
- People already taking mental health drugs tended to move more often in districts with lower environmental quality, a model that could slow their recovery.
Key quote:
“Our study clearly shows that people with mental health problems tend to move more often and to areas with good environmental quality, which, in turn, can have an impact on their ability to recover.”
– Prof Rosie MCEACHAN, Director of the National Health Service born in Bradford
Why this counts:
The impact of air pollution on mental health adds a hidden dimension to urban environmental dangers. Beyond the well-documented effects on the lungs and the cardiovascular system, particles suspended in the air and traffic-related pollutants can change mood, cognition and stress resilience. Communities with less green shelters and more traffic are faced with a double burden: degraded air quality and limited access to soothing and repairing spaces. These disparities often reflect socioeconomic divisions, deepening the inequalities of physical and psychological well-being. Understand how toxic air and inadequate public areas affect mental health underlines the need to consider clean air and quality green infrastructure in the context of public health and community well-being planning.
In relation: Pollution and our mental health