Áreas verdes urbanas e saúde mental.

Abstract

In the last few decades there was a significant growth in the urban population. This phenomenon was more prominent in developing countries. The physical environment is a factor that affects the population s health in cities and the rapid urbanisation lead to the degradation of such environment. Mental health problems are amongst the commonest health issues. Several studies suggest that urban green areas benefit urban dwellers mental health. This study has as main objective to assess the association between green urban areas in the built environment with occorence of common mental disorders (CMD). In order to do that we did a cross-sectional study using data from the third wave of a prospective cohort study, done in clerical workers from Rio de Janeiro s State University (Pró-Saúde Study). The outcome variable was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The exposure variable was measured using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), calculated in buffers created around each participant s residence. Statistical analysis was done via a logistic regression model adjusted for: sex, age, net income, number of dependents, years of schooling, physical activity and a correcting variable for blue areas. We found a negative statistically significant association between maximum NDVI and the occurrence of CMD in the 200 (second quartile), 1000 (third quartile), 1500 metres buffers. The present study suggests that exposure to green areas has a inverse association with occurence of common mental health disorders.