Your children's proximity to green spaces, like parks and forests, may have an impact on their long-term lung health, a new study suggests.
Researchers across Europe published their findings in the Environmental International journal earlier in August, revealing they found a "robust" connection between better lung health and exposure to green spaces as a child.
The study looked at lung functions in 35,000 children across eight different countries in Europe, including Denmark, France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
They specifically measured the amount of air a person can breathe out without a time limit after breathing in deeply (known as the forced vital capacity) and how open that person's airways are — known as the forced expiratory volume in one second.
In the study, they found that children who lived in neighborhoods with more green spaces within 300 meters (984 feet) of their homes had higher lung function than others. While this was found across socioeconomic status, lung function was even higher for children with high-income backgrounds.
The researchers suggested this difference could be because of higher-income neighborhoods having "higher-quality, safe, and better-maintained green areas," according to the Barcelona Institute of Global Health, per Medical Xpress.
These findings are a huge step in learning how we can ensure our children have healthy and long lives by protecting their bodies. The study appears to suggest that by protecting and increasing green spaces in neighborhoods, we can improve young kids' lung functions.
At the same time, green spaces have also been found to improve people's mental health and physical activity. The National Recreation and Park Association has estimated that people who live roughly a mile away from green spaces are 50% more likely to experience stress than those living less than 300 meters (984 feet) away.
While the recent findings are good news for young families, more research needs to be done to better understand how green spaces and lung function are connected.
"Our understanding of how green spaces affect lung function is still incomplete. We know that green spaces reduce air pollution, which in turn affects respiratory health," study author Amanda Fernandes said.
"We also believe that green spaces may expose children to beneficial microbiota, which may contribute to the development of the immune system and indirectly influence lung function. Finally, green spaces close to home are likely to reflect the presence of play areas that encourage physical activity at an age when the lungs are still developing."
Until more research is conducted, the study's authors have said their findings point to the need for more green spaces in cities and other urban environments to protect lung health for adults and children alike.
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