Jardins als terrats per la inclusió, salut i benestar de col·lectius vulnerables

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552Investigadors del Barcelona Laboratory for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ) de l'ICTA-UAB, amb l'Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal), coordinaran i realitzaran un estudi per l'Institut Municipal de Persones amb Discapacitat de Barcelona (IMPD) amb l'objectiu d'avaluar els beneficis del programa municipal de jardins als terrats per a persones amb discapacitat. Aquest estudi també ajudarà a avaluar la possibilitat de replicar els jardins ja existents, estenent un projecte que ajuda al benestar de grups socialment vulnerables alhora que ofereix beneficis ecològics a la ciutat.Investigadores del Barcelona Laboratory for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ) del ICTA-UAB, junto con el Instituto de Salud Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal), coordinarán y realizarán un estudio para el Instituto Municipal de Personas con Discapacidad de Barcelona (IMPD) con el objetivo de evaluar los beneficios del programa municipal de jardines en azoteas para personas con discapacidad. Este estudió ayudará también a evaluar la posibilidad de replicar los jardines ya existentes, extendiendo un proyecto que ayuda al bienestar de grupos socialmente vulnerables a la vez que ofrece beneficios ecológicos a la ciudad.Researchers from the Barcelona Laboratoy for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ) from the ICTA-UAB, in partnership with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), will coordinate and conduct a study for the Barcelona Municipal Institute for People with Disability (IMPD) to assess the benefits of the municipal rooftop garden program aimed at people with disabilities. This study will also help assess the opportunities for replicating the gardens that the city currently has, extending a project that provides well-being for socially-vulnerable groups while delivering ecological benefits to the city

Estudi avaluatiu del Programa d'Horts en Terrats de l'Ajuntament de Barcelona per a persones amb discapacitat intel·lectual i/o problemàtiques derivades de la salut mental

Estudi qualitatiu i quantitatiu sobre els beneficis i àmbits de millora dins el projecte dels horts al terrat

Natural outdoor environments and mental health: Stress as a possible mechanism.

INTRODUCTION Better mental health has been associated with exposure to natural outdoor environments (NOE). However, comprehensive studies including several indicators of exposure and outcomes, potential effect modifiers and mediators are scarce. OBJECTIVES We used novel, objective measures to explore the relationships between exposure to NOE (i.e. residential availability and contact) and different indicators of mental health, and possible modifiers and mediators. METHODS A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in: Barcelona, Spain; Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom; Doetinchem, Netherlands; Kaunas, Lithuania. Participants' exposure to NOE (including both surrounding greenness and green and/or blue spaces) was measured in terms of (a) amount in their residential environment (using Geographical Information Systems) and (b) their contact with NOE (using smartphone data collected over seven days). Self-reported information was collected for mental health (psychological wellbeing, sleep quality, vitality, and somatisation), and potential effect modifiers (gender, age, education level, and city) and mediators (perceived stress and social contacts), with additional objective NOE physical activity (potential mediator) derived from smartphone accelerometers. RESULTS Analysis of data from 406 participants showed no statistically significant associations linking mental health and residential NOE exposure. However, NOE contact, especially surrounding greenness, was statistically significantly tied to better mental health. There were indications that these relationships were stronger for males, younger people, low-medium educated, and Doetinchem residents. Perceived stress was a mediator of most associations, and physical activity and social contacts were not. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that contact with NOE benefits mental health. Our results also suggest that having contact with NOE that can facilitate stress reduction could be particularly beneficial

Quality of life benefits of urban rooftop gardening for people with intellectual disabilities or mental health disorders

Background: The number of urban community gardens, including those on rooftops, is increasing. However, few studies have explored the benefits of these gardens for people with intellectual disabilities or mental health disorders. We evaluated the association between urban rooftop gardening and quality of life of individuals with moderate to very marked disability. Methods: We collected quality of life information with a preliminary version of the INTEGRAL Scale questionnaire from all gardeners (n = 54) and among a comparison group of nongardeners (n = 43). We also conducted semi-structured interviews with participants and technicians, and made field observations. Results: Our results indicated that urban rooftop gardening was associated with better personal development and suggested enhanced physical and emotional well-being, sense of purpose, social inclusion, interpersonal relations (including new perspectives on the urban environment and the changes in social roles), and general quality of life. Conclusion: Our study extends the evidence on the potential benefits of urban rooftop gardening in general, and specifically for those with intellectual disabilities and mental health disorders.The research presented in this article received funding from the Town Council of Barcelona and from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 678034). These sponsors had no role in the design or analysis of this study. No copyrighted material was used in this manuscript

Quality of life benefits of urban rooftop gardening for people with intellectual disabilities or mental health disorders

Background: The number of urban community gardens, including those on rooftops, is increasing. However, few studies have explored the benefits of these gardens for people with intellectual disabilities or mental health disorders. We evaluated the association between urban rooftop gardening and quality of life of individuals with moderate to very marked disability. Methods: We collected quality of life information with a preliminary version of the INTEGRAL Scale questionnaire from all gardeners (n = 54) and among a comparison group of nongardeners (n = 43). We also conducted semi-structured interviews with participants and technicians, and made field observations. Results: Our results indicated that urban rooftop gardening was associated with better personal development and suggested enhanced physical and emotional well-being, sense of purpose, social inclusion, interpersonal relations (including new perspectives on the urban environment and the changes in social roles), and general quality of life. Conclusion: Our study extends the evidence on the potential benefits of urban rooftop gardening in general, and specifically for those with intellectual disabilities and mental health disorders.The research presented in this article received funding from the Town Council of Barcelona and from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 678034). These sponsors had no role in the design or analysis of this study. No copyrighted material was used in this manuscript

Natural outdoor environments and mental health: stress as a possible mechanism

Introduction: Better mental health has been associated with exposure to natural outdoor environments (NOE). However, comprehensive studies including several indicators of exposure and outcomes, potential effect modifiers and mediators are scarce. Objectives: We used novel, objective measures to explore the relationships between exposure to NOE (i.e. residential availability and contact) and different indicators of mental health, and possible modifiers and mediators. Methods: A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in: Barcelona, Spain; Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom; Doetinchem, Netherlands; Kaunas, Lithuania. Participants' exposure to NOE (including both surrounding greenness and green and/or blue spaces) was measured in terms of (a) amount in their residential environment (using Geographical Information Systems) and (b) their contact with NOE (using smartphone data collected over seven days). Self-reported information was collected for mental health (psychological wellbeing, sleep quality, vitality, and somatisation), and potential effect modifiers (gender, age, education level, and city) and mediators (perceived stress and social contacts), with additional objective NOE physical activity (potential mediator) derived from smartphone accelerometers. Results: Analysis of data from 406 participants showed no statistically significant associations linking mental health and residential NOE exposure. However, NOE contact, especially surrounding greenness, was statistically significantly tied to better mental health. There were indications that these relationships were stronger for males, younger people, low-medium educated, and Doetinchem residents. Perceived stress was a mediator of most associations, and physical activity and social contacts were not. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that contact with NOE benefits mental health. Our results also suggest that having contact with NOE that can facilitate stress reduction could be particularly beneficial.This study received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007–2013) under grant agreement no: 282996 (ENV.2011.1.2.3-2). Margarita Triguero-Mas was funded by a pre-doctoral grant from the Catalan Government (AGAUR FI-DGR-2013). None of the funders had involvement in the design, analysis or interpretation of this study

Living close to natural outdoor environments in four european cities: adults' contact with the environments and physical activity

This study investigated whether residential availability of natural outdoor environments (NOE) was associated with contact with NOE, overall physical activity and physical activity in NOE, in four different European cities using objective measures. A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in Barcelona (Spain); Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom); Doetinchem (The Netherlands); and Kaunas (Lithuania). Smartphones were used to collect information on the location and physical activity (overall and NOE) of around 100 residents of each city over seven days. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine residential NOE availability (presence/absence of NOE within 300 m buffer from residence), contact with NOE (time spent in NOE), overall PA (total physical activity), NOE PA (total physical activity in NOE). Potential effect modifiers were investigated. Participants spent around 40 min in NOE and 80 min doing overall PA daily, of which 11% was in NOE. Having residential NOE availability was consistently linked with higher NOE contact during weekdays, but not to overall PA. Having residential NOE availability was related to NOE PA, especially for our Barcelona participants, people that lived in a city with low NOE availability.This study was funded from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007–2013) under grant agreement No: 282996 (ENV.2011.1.2.3-2). Margarita Triguero-Mas is funded by a pre-doctoral grant from the Catalan Government (AGAUR FI-DGR-2013

Living Close to Natural Outdoor Environments in Four European Cities: Adults' Contact with the Environments and Physical Activity.

This study investigated whether residential availability of natural outdoor environments (NOE) was associated with contact with NOE, overall physical activity and physical activity in NOE, in four different European cities using objective measures. A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in Barcelona (Spain); Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom); Doetinchem (The Netherlands); and Kaunas (Lithuania). Smartphones were used to collect information on the location and physical activity (overall and NOE) of around 100 residents of each city over seven days. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine residential NOE availability (presence/absence of NOE within 300 m buffer from residence), contact with NOE (time spent in NOE), overall PA (total physical activity), NOE PA (total physical activity in NOE). Potential effect modifiers were investigated. Participants spent around 40 min in NOE and 80 min doing overall PA daily, of which 11% was in NOE. Having residential NOE availability was consistently linked with higher NOE contact during weekdays, but not to overall PA. Having residential NOE availability was related to NOE PA, especially for our Barcelona participants, people that lived in a city with low NOE availability

Living Close to Natural Outdoor Environments in Four European Cities: Adults' Contact with the Environments and Physical Activity

This study investigated whether residential availability of natural outdoor environments (NOE) was associated with contact with NOE, overall physical activity and physical activity in NOE, in four different European cities using objective measures. A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in Barcelona (Spain); Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom); Doetinchem (The Netherlands); and Kaunas (Lithuania). Smartphones were used to collect information on the location and physical activity (overall and NOE) of around 100 residents of each city over seven days. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine residential NOE availability (presence/absence of NOE within 300 m buffer from residence), contact with NOE (time spent in NOE), overall PA (total physical activity), NOE PA (total physical activity in NOE). Potential effect modifiers were investigated. Participants spent around 40 min in NOE and 80 min doing overall PA daily, of which 11% was in NOE. Having residential NOE availability was consistently linked with higher NOE contact during weekdays, but not to overall PA. Having residential NOE availability was related to NOE PA, especially for our Barcelona participants, people that lived in a city with low NOE availability