AUTHOR=Nwanaji-Enwerem Ugoji , McGeary John E. , Grigsby-Toussaint Diana S. TITLE=Greenspace, stress, and health: how is epigenetics involved? JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=12 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1333737 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1333737 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=

Most expositions of the association between green space and overall health and well-being focus on psychosocial mechanisms. However, discussions of the biological underpinnings of the exposure to green space and health implications are limited. In this paper, we highlight the role epigenetics plays in the manifestation or suppression of stress, in addition to some of the proposed epigenetic mechanisms through which green space mitigates stress. The Health: Epigenetics, Greenspace and Stress (HEGS) model is introduced to explicate this association, and suggestions for research to build the evidence base in this area are discussed.