Neighbourhood socio-economic disadvantage and loneliness: the contribution of green space quantity and quality

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 598 - 17
• Main Authors: Jamalishahni, Tara, Turrell, Gavin, Foster, Sarah, Davern, Melanie, Villanueva, Karen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 30.03.2023; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Age groups; Aged; Biostatistics; Cardiovascular disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; Economic aspects; Environmental aspects; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Green infrastructure; Green space; Health aspects; Health care disparities; Health disparities; Humans; Hypotheses; Infrastructure; Loneliness; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neighborhood Characteristics; Neighborhoods; Neighbourhood disadvantage; Older people; Parks, Recreational; Psychological aspects; Public Health; Public spaces; Residence Characteristics; Social aspects; Social interaction; Socioeconomic Factors; Vaccine; Vegetation; Australia; Queensland Australia; Green space; Loneliness; Neighbourhood disadvantage
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15433-0

Disadvantaged areas experience higher levels of loneliness than advantaged areas, though studies rarely identify environmental determinants of neighbourhood inequity in loneliness. We studied the contribution of the quantity and quality of green space to neighbourhood inequity in loneliness in three buffer sizes (400 m, 800 m, 1600 m), using cross-sectional data from 3778 individuals aged 48–77 years old living in 200 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia. Levels of loneliness were significantly higher in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and these neighbourhoods had less green space and less access to quality green space. However, there was no evidence that neighbourhood disparities in green space contributed to the association between neighbourhood disadvantage and loneliness. Possible methodological and substantive reasons for this result are discussed.