Dataset Information

A cross-sectional analysis of green space prevalence and mental wellbeing in England.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:With urbanisation increasing, it is important to understand how to design changing environments to promote mental wellbeing. Evidence suggests that local-area proportions of green space may be associated with happiness and life satisfaction; however, the available evidence on such associations with more broadly defined mental wellbeing in still very scarce. This study aimed to establish whether the amount of neighbourhood green space was associated with mental wellbeing. METHODS:Data were drawn from Understanding Society, a national survey of 30,900 individuals across 11,096 Census Lower-Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) in England, over the period 2009-2010. Measures included the multi-dimensional Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS) and LSOA proportion of green space, which was derived from the General Land Use Database (GLUD), and were analysed using linear regression, while controlling for individual, household and area-level factors. RESULTS:Those living in areas with greater proportions of green space had significantly higher mental wellbeing scores in unadjusted analyses (an expected increase of 0.17 points (95% CI 0.11, 0.23) in the SWEMWBS score for a standard deviation increase of green space). However, after adjustment for confounding by respondent sociodemographic characteristics and urban/rural location, the association was attenuated to the null (regression coefficient B = - 0.01, 95% CI -0.08, 0.05, p = 0.712). CONCLUSIONS:While the green space in an individual's local area has been shown through other research to be related to aspects of mental health such as happiness and life satisfaction, the association with multidimensional mental wellbeing is much less clear from our results. While we did not find a statistically significant association between the amount of green space in residents' local areas and mental wellbeing, further research is needed to understand whether other features of green space, such as accessibility, aesthetics or use, are important for mental wellbeing.

SUBMITTER: Houlden V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5527375 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A cross-sectional analysis of green space prevalence and mental wellbeing in England.

Houlden Victoria V Weich Scott S Jarvis Stephen S

BMC public health 20170517 1

<h4>Background</h4>With urbanisation increasing, it is important to understand how to design changing environments to promote mental wellbeing. Evidence suggests that local-area proportions of green space may be associated with happiness and life satisfaction; however, the available evidence on such associations with more broadly defined mental wellbeing in still very scarce. This study aimed to establish whether the amount of neighbourhood green space was associated with mental wellbeing.<h4>Me ...[more]

PMID: 28693451

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Project description:OBJECTIVE:To estimate obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England and compare prevalence with those working outside of the health services. DESIGN:Cross-sectional study based on data from 5?years (2008-2012) of the nationally representative Health Survey for England. SETTING:England. PARTICIPANTS:20?103 adults aged 17-65 years indicating they were economically active at the time of survey classified into four occupational groups: nurses (n=422), other healthcare professionals (n=412), unregistered care workers (n=736) and individuals employed in non-health-related occupations (n=18?533). OUTCOME MEASURE:Prevalence of obesity defined as body mass index ?30.0 with 95% CIs and weighted to reflect the population. RESULTS:Obesity prevalence was high across all occupational groups including: among nurses (25.1%, 95%?CI 20.9% to 29.4%); other healthcare professionals (14.4%,?95% CI 11.0% to 17.8%); non-health-related occupations (23.5%,?95% CI 22.9% to 24.1%); and unregistered care workers who had the highest prevalence of obesity (31.9%, 95% CI 28.4% to 35.3%). A logistic regression model adjusted for sociodemographic composition and survey year indicated that, compared with nurses, the odds of being obese were significantly lower for other healthcare professionals (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.52, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.75) and higher for unregistered care workers (aOR 1.46,?95% CI 1.11 to 1.93). There was no significant difference in obesity prevalence between nurses and people working in non-health-related occupations (aOR 0.94,?95% CI 0.74 to 1.18). CONCLUSIONS:High obesity prevalence among nurses and unregistered care workers is concerning as it increases the risks of musculoskeletal conditions and mental health conditions that are the main causes of sickness absence in health services. Further research is required to better understand the reasons for high obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England to inform interventions to support individuals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Project description:BackgroundHerpes zoster (commonly called shingles) is caused by the reactivation of varicella zoster virus, and results in substantial morbidity. While the risk of zoster increases significantly with age and immunosuppression, relatively little is known about other risk factors for zoster. Moreover, much evidence to date stems from electronic healthcare or administrative data. Hence, the aim of this study was to explore potential risk factors for herpes zoster using survey data from a nationally-representative sample of the general community-dwelling population in England.MethodsData were extracted from the 2015 Health Survey for England, an annual cross-sectional representative survey of households in England. The lifetime prevalence of self-reported herpes zoster was described by age, gender and other socio-demographic factors, health behaviours (physical activity levels, body mass index, smoking status and alcohol consumption) and clinical conditions, including; diabetes, respiratory, digestive and genito-urinary system and mental health disorders. Logistic regression models were then used to identify possible factors associated with shingles, and results were presented as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.ResultsThe lifetime prevalence of shingles among the sample was 11.5% (12.6% among women, 10.3% among men), which increased with age. After adjusting for a range of covariates, increased age, female gender (odds ratio: 1.21; 95%CI: 1.03, 1.43), White ethnic backgrounds (odds ratio: 2.00; 95%CI: 1.40, 2.88), moderate physical activity 7 days per week (odds ratio: 1.29; 95%CI: 1.01, 1.66) and digestive disorders (odds ratio: 1.51; 95%CI: 1.13, 1.51) were each associated with increased odds of having had herpes zoster.ConclusionsAge, gender, ethnicity and digestive disorders may be risk factors for herpes zoster among a nationally representative sample of adults in England. These potential risk factors and possible mechanisms should be further explored using longitudinal studies.

Project description:BackgroundLowered mental wellbeing of students is a growing health and societal problem. Experiencing high levels of stress for a longer period of time has been associated with an increased risk for lower mental wellbeing and mental health problems. To reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing it is important to understand how various sources of stress are related with mental wellbeing and which factors can buffer the impact of stress on mental wellbeing.ObjectivesDeriving from a conceptual model the aim of the study was to explore 1) the association of underlying stressors (academic pressure, family circumstances, side-activity pressure, and financial situation) with perceived stress and mental wellbeing, 2) whether perceived stress mediates the association between the sources of stress and mental wellbeing and 3) whether loneliness, self-esteem, personality and coping styles buffer or reinforce the impact of perceived stress on mental wellbeing.MethodA cross-sectional survey design was used among students of an University of Applied Sciences and conducted between November 16, 2020, and January 18, 2021. Study variables were mental wellbeing, perceived stress, academic pressure, financial pressure, family pressure and side-activity pressure, coping style, self-esteem, loneliness, personality. The questionnaire was constructed using validated measures. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between perceived stress, sources of stress and mental wellbeing. Mediation and moderation processes were explored using Hayes PROCESS models.ResultsA total of 875 university students (37,2% male, 62,3% female, mean age 21,6) participated. Perceived stress had a strong negative association with mental wellbeing (unstandardized regression coefficient (b) = -.848, p < .001; r = -.667, p < .01), explaining 45% of the variance. Academic pressure (b = -8.014, p < .01), family pressure (b = -3.189, p < .01), side-activity pressure (b = -3.032, p < .01) and financial pressure (b = -2.041, p < .01) all had a negative impact on mental wellbeing. This effect was mediated by perceived stress, but a direct effect remained for academic pressure (b = -3.306, p < .01) and family pressure (b = -1.130, p < .01). Significant interaction effects between perceived stress and mental wellbeing were found for approach coping (low = -.93, p < .01; high = -.64, p < .01) and emotional stability (low = -.81, p < .01; high = -.64, p < .01).ConclusionPerceived stress has a major impact on students' mental wellbeing. Underlying stressors were mediated by perceived stress, but direct effects were also found. To protect the mental wellbeing of students, it is urgent to reduce perceived stress, suppress underlying stressors and make students more resilient through the development of found buffers, such as approach coping.

Project description:Despite increased awareness of mental health problems, stigma persists. Little research has examined potential health and wellbeing outcomes associated with stigma. The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between mental health stigma, metabolic and cardiovascular biomarkers, as well as wellbeing and quality of life among people with no mental disorder, common mental disorders and severe mental illness. Data were taken from adults aged 16 + years participating in the Health Survey for England in 2014 (N = 5491). Mental health stigma was measured using the 12-item Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale, intended to measure attitudes around prejudice and exclusion, and tolerance and support for community care. Individuals were divided into six groups based on their mental health (no mental disorder, common mental disorder, severe mental illness) and whether they exhibited more (≤25th percentile) or less (>25th percentile) stigmatising attitudes. Metabolic and cardiovascular biomarker outcomes included systolic and diastolic blood pressure; total cholesterol; high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol; glycated haemoglobin, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio and resting pulse rate. Biomarkers were analysed individually and as an allostatic load score. Wellbeing was measured using Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) and quality of life via Euro-QoL-5D (EQ-5D). Linear regression models were calculated adjusted for confounders. Compared to individuals with less stigmatising attitudes, results suggested that those with more negative attitudes exhibited poorer wellbeing and quality of life across all mental disorder/stigma groups, including those with no mental disorder (WEMWBS (range 14-70): b = -1.384, 95% CI: -2.107 to -0.661). People with severe mental illness generally had unhealthier biomarker profiles and allostatic load scores, but results were inconsistent for any additional influence of mental health stigma. Reducing stigma may be beneficial for population wellbeing, but further research is needed to clarify whether stigma contributes to adverse biomarkers amongst people with mental illness.

Dataset Information

A cross-sectional analysis of green space prevalence and mental wellbeing in England.

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A cross-sectional analysis of green space prevalence and mental wellbeing in England.

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