Long-term exposure to greenspace and cognitive function during the lifespan: a systematic review

Ricciardi, Elisabetta; Spano, Giuseppina; Lopez, Antonella; Tinella, Luigi; Clemente, Carmine; Elia, Giuseppe; Dadvand, Payam; Sanesi, Giovanni; Bosco, Andrea; Caffò, Alessandro Oronzo

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811700

Long-term exposure to greenspace and cognitive function during the lifespan: a systematic review

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Ricciardi E, Spano G, Lopez A, Tinella L, Clemente C, Elia G, Dadvand P, Sanesi G, Bosco A, Caffò AO. Long-term exposure to greenspace and cognitive function during the lifespan: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 16;19(18):11700. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811700

Abstract

Recent advances in environmental psychology highlighted the beneficial role of greenspace exposure on cognition. We conducted a systematic review of the available studies on the association of long-term exposure to greenspace and cognitive functions across the lifespan. PRISMA guidelines and the PECOs method were applied to screen for eligible studies. Twenty-five studies from Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO met the inclusion criteria. Six studies were longitudinal and nineteen cross-sectional. Fifteen studies focused on schoolchildren, six studies on adults, and four on the elderly. Twenty studies used the NDVI to assess greenspace exposure and the remaining used other indexes. Eight studies employed academic achievement as the outcome, eight studies global cognition, six studies attention/executive functions, and three studies memory. The evidence was inconsistent but suggestive for a beneficial role of greenspace exposure on cognitive functions. Further studies are required, especially among adults and older people, by adopting longitudinal designs.