Health
Study Links Proximity to Urban Woodlands with Lower Antidepressant Prescriptions
Scottish researchers observed reductions in mental health medication usage among residents living within a 10-minute walk of restored local woods.
The short version
- A study of over 129,000 residents in Scotland found that moving within a 10-minute walk of an accessible urban woodland lowered antidepressant prescription odds by 10 percent.
- The research evaluated Scotland's Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) program, which has restored nearly 30,000 acres of urban forests since 2005.
- Odds of anti-anxiety prescriptions also dropped by 6 percent for individuals living near these revitalized green spaces.
- The findings were published in The Lancet Planetary Health by researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Key facts
- Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow tracked more than 129,000 people in Scotland across a five-year period.[Hacker News]
- Moving to within a 10-minute walk of a WIAT urban woodland was associated with a 10 percent reduction in antidepressant prescription odds and a 6 percent drop in anti-anxiety medication prescription odds.[Hacker News]
- Scotland's Woods In and Around Towns initiative has revitalized almost 30,000 acres of urban forest since its launch in 2005.[Hacker News]
- The study was published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health.[Hacker News]
What remains uncertain
- The study demonstrates an association between living near urban woodlands and reduced medication usage, but direct cause-and-effect mechanics remain unproven.[Hacker News]