Metro Vancouver Parks & Green Space

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

It is a scientific fact that trees can lower urban temperatures by up to 12 C. And some studies do adjust for the wealth gap - no change.

Once again this study doesn't claim to prove that greenspace improves mental health, just that living near green space is correlated with better mental health. From your own quote:

The results did indeed suggest that proximity to trees corresponded with a lower rate of antidepressant prescription. More precisely, they showed that living within 100 metres of a tree – of any species – was associated with lower use of antidepressants.

"Corresponded with" and "associated with" are both ways of saying that they are correlated; not causative. Perhaps greenery correlates with more park space which correlates with more exercise?

Bear in mind, I do think it's likely that greenspace has positive causative effects for people's health and wellbeing, but I have to stand up against bad science journalism.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by chowhou

"Corresponded with" and "associated with" are both ways of saying that they are correlated; not causative. Perhaps greenery correlates with more park space which correlates with more exercise?

Bear in mind, I do think it's likely that greenspace has positive causative effects for people's health and wellbeing, but I have to stand up against bad science journalism.

You'd be nearly as hard-pressed to find solid causation between exercise and lower use of antidepressants.

Point is, greenery appears to be even more effective in poorer neighbourhoods, which would seem to negate your "wealth gap" hypothesis.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

You'd be nearly as hard-pressed to correlate exercise to lower use of antidepressants. Point is, greenery appears to be even more effective in poorer neighbourhoods, which would seem to negate your "wealth gap" hypothesis.

Well, no. Exercise is medically proven to be extremely beneficial to physical and mental health, especially for depression. That's not correlation, that's medically tested cause and effect.

And on the contrary, basically anything that improves health outcomes is going to have greater effects in poorer neighbourhoods than wealthier neighbourhoods. Wealthier people have a healthier baseline than poor people for various reasons. Increasing human healthiness is naturally going to have diminishing returns at the upper end.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by chowhou

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Funny how so many fitness trainers have chosen to off themselves, then. /s
There's plenty of studies to suggest both factors have a positive impact on mental health, but I've yet to see one that directly links either one to the other.

More to the point, Sheba's article also mentions how greenery also lowers average urban temperatures (and thereby temperature-based illnesses). Less heat, less heatstroke - I highly doubt you need to isolate socioeconomic variables for that one.

[chowhou]

You're just arguing to argue at this point. No good faith person rejects the medical consensus that exercise results in positive outcomes for depressed patients.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC474733/

When research has been done that rejects the null hypothesis, then journalists can run with greenspace cures depression. Until then it's pop science.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by chowhou

- snip -

You say po-tay-toe, I say poh-tah-toe. Plenty of scientific consensus for both - you're just picking nits.