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Exposure to nature and mental health outcomes during COVID-19 lockdown. A comparison between Portugal and Spain
Ribeiro, Ana Isabel (Universidade do Porto)
Triguero-Mas, Margarita (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Jardim Santos, Cláudia (Universidade do Porto)
Gómez-Nieto, Alicia (Universidad de Alcalá)
Cole, Helen (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Anguelovski, Isabelle (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Martins Silva, Filipa (Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto)
Baró Porras, Francesc (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date: 2021
Abstract: Background: To control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, countries around the world implemented lockdowns with varying intensities. Lockdowns, however, have been associated with a deterioration of mental health, including post-traumatic stress symptoms, anger and anxiety. Exposure to nature might reduce stress and provide relaxation opportunities. Objective: Firstly, we aimed to determine which sociodemographic, housing and lockdown-related characteristics were associated with changes in exposure to nature during the COVID-19 lockdown in Portugal and Spain. Secondly, we sought to estimate the associations of these changes with mental health, and test whether these associations differed according to sociodemographic characteristics and between the two countries, which experienced different restrictions and epidemiological situations. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 27 and May 6, 2020, using an online questionnaire to measure changes in exposure to nature (including private green space and other greenery, views of nature from home and public natural spaces); sociodemographic, housing and lockdown-related characteristics; stress levels (visual stress scale); psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire incorporated into urban planning interventions and housing design and exposure to nature should be promoted during lockdowns.
Grants: European Commission 678034
European Commission 730243
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad FJCI-2017-33842
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad IJC2018-035322-I
Note: Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights: Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades. Creative Commons
Language: Anglès
Document: Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject: Green space ; Nature ; Confinement ; Pandemic ; Mental health ; SARS-CoV-2
Published in: Environment International, Vol. 154 (September 2021) , art. 106664, ISSN 1873-6750

DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106664
PMID: 34082237


12 p, 971.9 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles

 Record created 2022-07-07, last modified 2022-09-29



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