Greenspace and health, wellbeing, physical activity, and development in children and adolescents: an overview of the systematic reviews

Abstract

The evidence on the beneficial association of greenspace exposure and mental and physical health and wellbeing of children and adolescents is accumulating. We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses on health, developmental, and behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents related to greenspace exposure, published until August 2022. Most of the available reviews are on mental health and behavioral outcomes. The evidence is mainly cross-sectional and conducted in high-income countries. Exposure assessment has been reported as the main methodological challenge in pooling the studies together. Outcome assessment and population characteristics are also among the reported sources of heterogeneity. Overall, reviews are suggestive of a beneficial association of greenspace with a range of outcomes (e.g., birth, neurodevelopmental, cognitive, behavioral, weight-related, mental health and wellbeing, school performance, and physical and outdoor activities), except for allergic and respiratory outcomes for which the evidence is not conclusive.