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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1442560
This article is part of the Research Topic Multi-scale Urban Built Environment and Human Health View all articles

Relationship between Urban Green Space and Mental Health in Older Adults: Mediating Role of Relative Deprivation, Physical Activity, and Social Trust

Provisionally accepted
Wen Zuo Wen Zuo 1Bin Cheng Bin Cheng 1Xinyan Fen Xinyan Fen 2Xuefang Zhuang Xuefang Zhuang 1*
  • 1 School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangdong, China
  • 2 School of Business, Macau University of Science and technology, Taipa, Macau Region, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The importance of improving older adults' mental health is increasing worldwide with the rapid development of the aging process. Green space is an important part of the urban built environment, demonstrates a deep connection with the mental health of older adults, and its internal mechanisms have been widely studied. This study analyzed the influence of urban green spaces on the mental health of older adults via three factors: relative deprivation, physical activity, and social trust. Methods: Based on the 2018 China Labor Dynamics Survey, a multi-level structural equation model was used to explore the mediating roles of relative deprivation, physical activity, social trust in urban green spaces, and the mental health of older adults. Results: Urban green space was positively correlated with the mental health of older adults. Relative deprivation and physical activities played a mediating role between urban green space and the mental health of older adults. Discussion: An increase in urban green spaces can help increase the number of older adults obtaining green space resources, and help them maintain good mental health. Secondly, older adults with a relatively homogeneous environment have more equal opportunities to obtain urban green space resources, which helps to reduce the comparison of older adults in access to green space resources and reduce the adverse impact of relative deprivation on their mental health. Additionally, increasing urban green spaces can encourage older adults to engage in physical activities and improve their mental health. Finally, we suggest improving the accessibility, fairness, and quality of green spaces, paying attention to the psychological needs of older adults, encouraging older adults to engage in physical activities in green spaces, and taking various measures to enhance the positive role of green space on the mental health of older adults.

    Keywords: urban green space, older adults, Mental Health, relative deprivation, China

    Received: 02 Jun 2024; Accepted: 12 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zuo, Cheng, Fen and Zhuang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xuefang Zhuang, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangdong, China

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