Bengbu Medical College Reports Findings in Environmental Pollution (Association of residential greenness with geriatric depression among the elderly covered by long-term care insurance in Shanghai): Environmental Pollution

2021 OCT 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Education Daily Report -- New research on Environmental Pollution is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating in Anhui, People’s Republic of China, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Residential greenness exposure has been linked to a number of physical and mental disorders. Nevertheless, evidence on the association between greenness and geriatric depression was limited and focused on developed countries.”

Financial support for this research came from National Natural Science Foundation of China.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Bengbu Medical College, “This study was aimed to investigate whether the relationship between residential greenness exposure and geriatric depression exists among the elderly with long-term care insurance (LTCI) in Shanghai, China. In 2018, a total of 1066 LTCI elderly from a cross-sectional survey completed a questionnaire in Shanghai. Residential greenness indicators, including normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), were calculated from the Landsat 8 imagery data in different buffers (100-m, 300-m, and 500-m). Mediation analysis by perceived social support was conducted to explore potential mechanisms underlying the associations. In the fully adjusted model, one IQR increase of NDVI and SAVI in the 300-m buffer size was associated with an 11.9% (PR: 0.881, 95% CI: 0.795, 0.977) and 14.7% (PR: 0.853, 95% CI: 0.766, 0.949) lower prevalence of geriatric depression, respectively. Stronger association was observed in the elderly with lower education level, living in non-central area, and lower family monthly income. Perceived social support significantly mediated 40.4% of the total effect for NDVI 300-m buffer and 40.3% for SAVI 300-m buffer to the greenness-depression association, respectively. Our results indicate the importance of residential greenness exposure to geriatric depression, especially for the elderly with lower education level, living in non-central area, and lower family monthly income. Perceived social support might mediate the association.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Well-designed longitudinal studies are warranted to confirm our findings and investigate the underlying mechanisms.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Association of residential greenness with geriatric depression among the elderly covered by long-term care insurance in Shanghai. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2021. Environmental Science and Pollution Research can be contacted at: Springer Heidelberg, Tiergartenstrasse 17, D-69121 Heidelberg, Germany. (Springer - www.springer.com; Environmental Science and Pollution Research - http://www.springerlink.com/content/0944-1344/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Hengyuan Shi, Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China. Additional authors for this research include Wenjia Peng, Mengying Li, Xinghui Li, Ting Liu and Ying Wang.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16585-5. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher of the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research can be contacted at: Springer Heidelberg, Tiergartenstrasse 17, D-69121 Heidelberg, Germany.

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