Children living near green spaces show better overall development, B.C. study suggests
A B.C. study that compared where kids live to their overall development suggests the benefits of being close to nature can have a dramatic impact at a young age.
The study, conducted by a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia, analyzed development scores of more than 27,000 Metro Vancouver kids who were in kindergarten between 2005 and 2011. Researchers used the early development instrument, or EDI, which is a survey kindergarten teachers complete for children that measures their ability to meet developmental expectations appropriate for their age.
Researchers also estimated how much access there was to greenspace around the children's homes from when they were born until they turned five. They also looked at traffic-related pollution in the area.
"Most of the children were doing well in their development, in terms of language skills, cognitive capacity, socialization and other outcomes," said Ingrid Jarvis, the study's author and a PhD candidate in the department of forest and conservation sciences at UBC, in a news release.
"But what’s interesting is that those children living in a residential location with more vegetation and richer natural environments showed better overall development than their peers with less greenspace."
The researchers suggest the results highlight just how important natural green spaces are because they can reduce the impacts of air pollution and noise, which are known to increase stress and disturb sleep.
"More research is needed, but our findings suggest that urban planning efforts to increase greenspace in residential neighbourhoods and around schools are beneficial for early childhood development, with potential health benefits throughout life," said Matilda van den Bosch, the study's senior author and a UBC research associate.
"Time in nature can benefit everyone, but if we want our children to have a good head start, it’s important to provide an enriching environment through nature contact."
The study was published this month in the Lancet Planetary Health. Researchers from the University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, BC Children’s Hospital and BC Centre for Disease Control all contributed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.