Green and blue spaces, COVID-19 lockdowns, and mental health: An Australian population-based longitudinal analysis

This study examined the impact of lockdown durations on population mental health and tests the effect modification of neighbourhood green and inland and coastal blue space coverage in metropolitan areas. We merged population-based longitudinal data on more than 11,000 individuals collected over a ten-year period from 2012 to 2021 with national land use data describing green and blue space coverage. We used fixed effect models to estimate the relationship between lockdowns (with different durations and staggered introduction) and mental health, controlling for sociodemographic, health, and geographical confounders, and tested the significance of effect modification of green and blue space. Results show that extended lockdowns led to considerably larger decreases in mental health (COVID-y1: -2.66, 95%CI: -3.43, -1.89; COVID-y2: -2.65, 95%CI: -3.33, -1.97) relative to short lockdowns. The mental health effect of lockdowns was smaller where green spaces and inland and coastal blue spaces were available. Effect modification was statistically significant for green space, with smaller negative mental health effects observed where there was sizeable green space coverage, particularly during long lockdowns (COVID-y1: -2.69, 95%CI: -3.63, -1.76 for coverage <5%; -3.27, 95%CI: -4.70, -1.84 for coverage 5%-10%; -0.60, 95%CI: -2.03, 0.83 for coverage ≥30%; COVID-y2: -2.74, 95%CI: -3.62, -1.87 for coverage <5%, -2.95, 95%CI: -3.98, -1.92 for coverage 5%-10%; -2.08, 95%CI: -3.28, -0...
Source: Health and Place - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: research