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Dr. Matthew Browning
Virtual Reality & Nature (VRN) Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29631, USA

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0 Anxiety
0 Depression
0 Environmental Psychology
0 Virtual Reality
0 Green Space

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Review
Published: 13 April 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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While many studies suggest evidence for the health benefits of nature, there is currently no standardized method to measure time spent in nature or nature contact, nor agreement on how best to define nature contact in research. The purpose of this review is to summarize how nature contact has been measured in recent health research and provide insight into current metrics of exposure to nature at individual and population scales. The most common methods include surrounding greenness, questionnaires, and global positioning systems (GPS) tracking. Several national-level surveys exist, though these are limited by their cross-sectional design, often measuring only a single component of time spent in nature, and poor links to measures of health. In future research, exposure assessment combining the quantifying (e.g., time spent in nature and frequency of visits to nature) and qualifying (e.g., greenness by the normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI) and ratings on perception by individuals) aspects of current methods and leveraging innovative methods (e.g., experience sampling methods, ecological momentary assessment) will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the health effects of nature exposure and inform health policy and urban planning.

ACS Style

Isabel Holland; Nicole DeVille; Matthew Browning; Ryan Buehler; Jaime Hart; J. Hipp; Richard Mitchell; Donald Rakow; Jessica Schiff; Mathew White; Jie Yin; Peter James. Measuring Nature Contact: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 4092 .

AMA Style

Isabel Holland, Nicole DeVille, Matthew Browning, Ryan Buehler, Jaime Hart, J. Hipp, Richard Mitchell, Donald Rakow, Jessica Schiff, Mathew White, Jie Yin, Peter James. Measuring Nature Contact: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (8):4092.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Isabel Holland; Nicole DeVille; Matthew Browning; Ryan Buehler; Jaime Hart; J. Hipp; Richard Mitchell; Donald Rakow; Jessica Schiff; Mathew White; Jie Yin; Peter James. 2021. "Measuring Nature Contact: A Narrative Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 8: 4092.

Review
Published: 04 March 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Disadvantaged groups worldwide, such as low-income and racially/ethnically minoritized people, experience worse health outcomes than more privileged groups, including wealthier and white people. Such health disparities are a major public health issue in several countries around the world. In this systematic review, we examine whether green space shows stronger associations with physical health for disadvantaged groups than for privileged groups. We hypothesize that disadvantaged groups have stronger protective effects from green space because of their greater dependency on proximate green space, as they tend to lack access to other health-promoting resources. We use the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) method and search five databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to look for articles that examine whether socioeconomic status (SES) or race/ethnicity modify the green space-health associations. Based on this search, we identify 90 articles meeting our inclusion criteria. We find lower-SES people show more beneficial effects than affluent people, particularly when concerning public green spaces/parks rather than green land covers/greenness. Studies in Europe show stronger protective effects for lower-SES people versus higher-SES people than do studies in North America. We find no notable differences in the protective effects of green space between racial/ethnic groups. Collectively, these results suggest green space might be a tool to advance health equity and provide ways forward for urban planners, parks managers, and public health professionals to address health disparities.

ACS Style

Alessandro Rigolon; Matthew Browning; Olivia McAnirlin; Hyunseo Yoon. Green Space and Health Equity: A Systematic Review on the Potential of Green Space to Reduce Health Disparities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 2563 .

AMA Style

Alessandro Rigolon, Matthew Browning, Olivia McAnirlin, Hyunseo Yoon. Green Space and Health Equity: A Systematic Review on the Potential of Green Space to Reduce Health Disparities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (5):2563.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro Rigolon; Matthew Browning; Olivia McAnirlin; Hyunseo Yoon. 2021. "Green Space and Health Equity: A Systematic Review on the Potential of Green Space to Reduce Health Disparities." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 5: 2563.

Journal article
Published: 10 January 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Evolutionary psychology theories propose that contact with green, natural environments may benefit physical health, but little comparable evidence exists for brown, natural environments, such as the desert. In this study, we examined the association between “brownness” and “greenness” with fasting glucose among young residents of El Paso, Texas. We defined brownness as the surface not covered by vegetation or impervious land within Euclidian buffers around participants’ homes. Fasting glucose along with demographic and behavioral data were obtained from the Nurse Engagement and Wellness Study (n = 517). We found that residential proximity to brownness was not associated with fasting glucose when modeled independently. In contrast, we found that residential greenness was associated with decreased levels of fasting glucose, despite the relatively low levels of greenness within the predominantly desert environment of El Paso. A difference between the top and bottom greenness exposure quartiles within a 250 m buffer was associated with a 3.5 mg/dL decrease in fasting glucose levels (95% confidence interval: −6.2, −0.8). Our results suggest that within the understudied context of the desert, green vegetation may be health promoting to a degree that is similar to other, non-desert locations in the world that have higher baselines levels of green.

ACS Style

Hector A. Olvera-Alvarez; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Andreas M. Neophytou; Gregory N. Bratman. Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 520 .

AMA Style

Hector A. Olvera-Alvarez, Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Andreas M. Neophytou, Gregory N. Bratman. Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (2):520.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hector A. Olvera-Alvarez; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Andreas M. Neophytou; Gregory N. Bratman. 2021. "Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 2: 520.

Research article
Published: 07 January 2021 in PLoS ONE
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Background University students are increasingly recognized as a vulnerable population, suffering from higher levels of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and disordered eating compared to the general population. Therefore, when the nature of their educational experience radically changes—such as sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic—the burden on the mental health of this vulnerable population is amplified. The objectives of this study are to 1) identify the array of psychological impacts COVID-19 has on students, 2) develop profiles to characterize students' anticipated levels of psychological impact during the pandemic, and 3) evaluate potential sociodemographic, lifestyle-related, and awareness of people infected with COVID-19 risk factors that could make students more likely to experience these impacts. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected through web-based questionnaires from seven U.S. universities. Representative and convenience sampling was used to invite students to complete the questionnaires in mid-March to early-May 2020, when most coronavirus-related sheltering in place orders were in effect. We received 2,534 completed responses, of which 61% were from women, 79% from non-Hispanic Whites, and 20% from graduate students. Results Exploratory factor analysis on close-ended responses resulted in two latent constructs, which we used to identify profiles of students with latent profile analysis, including high (45% of sample), moderate (40%), and low (14%) levels of psychological impact. Bivariate associations showed students who were women, were non-Hispanic Asian, in fair/poor health, of below-average relative family income, or who knew someone infected with COVID-19 experienced higher levels of psychological impact. Students who were non-Hispanic White, above-average social class, spent at least two hours outside, or less than eight hours on electronic screens were likely to experience lower levels of psychological impact. Multivariate modeling (mixed-effects logistic regression) showed that being a woman, having fair/poor general health status, being 18 to 24 years old, spending 8 or more hours on screens daily, and knowing someone infected predicted higher levels of psychological impact when risk factors were considered simultaneously. Conclusion Inadequate efforts to recognize and address college students’ mental health challenges, especially during a pandemic, could have long-term consequences on their health and education.

ACS Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Lincoln R. Larson; Iryna Sharaievska; Alessandro Rigolon; Olivia McAnirlin; Lauren Mullenbach; Scott Cloutier; Tue M. Vu; Jennifer Thomsen; Nathan Reigner; Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf; Ashley D'Antonio; Marco Helbich; Gregory N. Bratman; Hector Olvera Alvarez. Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States. PLoS ONE 2021, 16, e0245327 .

AMA Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Lincoln R. Larson, Iryna Sharaievska, Alessandro Rigolon, Olivia McAnirlin, Lauren Mullenbach, Scott Cloutier, Tue M. Vu, Jennifer Thomsen, Nathan Reigner, Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf, Ashley D'Antonio, Marco Helbich, Gregory N. Bratman, Hector Olvera Alvarez. Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States. PLoS ONE. 2021; 16 (1):e0245327.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Lincoln R. Larson; Iryna Sharaievska; Alessandro Rigolon; Olivia McAnirlin; Lauren Mullenbach; Scott Cloutier; Tue M. Vu; Jennifer Thomsen; Nathan Reigner; Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf; Ashley D'Antonio; Marco Helbich; Gregory N. Bratman; Hector Olvera Alvarez. 2021. "Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States." PLoS ONE 16, no. 1: e0245327.

Preprint
Published: 20 November 2020
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Evolutionary psychology theories propose that contact with green, natural environments may benefit physical health, but little comparable evidence exists for brown, natural environments, such as the desert. In this study, we examined the association between “brownness” and “greenness” with fasting glucose among young residents of El Paso, Texas. We defined brownness as the surface not covered by vegetation or impervious land within Euclidian buffers around participants’ homes. Fasting glucose along with demographic and behavioral data was obtained from the Nurse Engagement and Wellness Study (N = 517). We found that residential proximity to brownness was not associated with fasting glucose when modeled independently. In contrast, we found that residential greenness was associated with decreased levels of fasting glucose, despite the relatively low levels of greenness within the predominantly desert environment of El Paso. A difference between the top and bottom greenness exposure quartiles within a 250 m buffer was associated with a 3.5 mg/dL decrease in fasting glucose levels (95% confidence interval: -6.2, -0.8). Our results suggest that within the understudied context of the desert, green vegetation may be health-promoting to a degree that is similar to other, non-desert locations in the world that have higher baselines levels of green.

ACS Style

Hector A. Olvera Alvarez; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Andreas M. Neophytou; Gregory N. Bratman. Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Hector A. Olvera Alvarez, Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Andreas M. Neophytou, Gregory N. Bratman. Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hector A. Olvera Alvarez; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Andreas M. Neophytou; Gregory N. Bratman. 2020. "Associations of Residential Brownness and Greenness with Fasting Glucose in Young Healthy Adults Living in the Desert." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 11 November 2020 in Environmental Research
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Greenness may protect from or contribute to allergy risk by influencing air pollution and human-microbe interactions. However, existing research on the issue is heterogeneous and produced conflicting results. Less in known about the effects of greyness. This study investigated the association between different characteristics of residential and school environment and allergic symptoms in schoolchildren. The present cross-sectional survey was undertaken in 2004/2005 among 1251 schoolchildren (8–12 years old) in several alpine valleys in Austria and Italy. Children's mothers completed a questionnaire that asked about allergic symptoms (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire), sociodemographic information, lifestyle, perinatal data, and housing conditions. We constructed four aggregate outcome variables: current asthma symptoms, ever asthma symptoms, ever allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms, and ever eczema symptoms. We employed well-known greenness and greyness exposure indicators (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, tree canopy cover, agricultural cover, imperviousness cover, and industrial cover), as well as an alternative naturalness index (Distance to Nature, D2N). Adjusted logistic regressions were used to explore associations between each exposure-outcome pair. Air pollution (NO2), traffic noise and time spent outdoors were tested as potential mediators in causal mediation analysis. Decrease in naturalness in a 500-m buffer around the home was associated with higher prevalence of AR symptoms. Associations with asthma symptoms were in the same direction but marginally significant. Residential NDVI and tree cover were marginally associated with lower prevalence of asthma and AR symptoms. Having a domestic garden was associated with lower prevalence of asthma symptoms. School greenness in a 100-m buffer was associated with lower prevalence of AR symptoms. Residential greyness was associated with higher prevalence of AR and asthma symptoms. We observed stronger associations for greenness and greyness in non-movers and in children without a family history of allergies. Mediation by NO2 and time spent outdoors was present in some of the exposure-outcome pairs. Schoolchildren residing in places with lower naturalness and higher greyness may be more likely to have allergic rhinitis and possibly asthma. Considering more comprehensive indicators than greenness and greyness and conducting research in children without a family history of allergic diseases may be key to better understanding who can profit from natural landscapes.

ACS Style

Angel M. Dzhambov; Peter Lercher; Johannes Rüdisser; Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Iana Markevych. Allergic symptoms in association with naturalness, greenness, and greyness: A cross-sectional study in schoolchildren in the Alps. Environmental Research 2020, 198, 110456 .

AMA Style

Angel M. Dzhambov, Peter Lercher, Johannes Rüdisser, Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Iana Markevych. Allergic symptoms in association with naturalness, greenness, and greyness: A cross-sectional study in schoolchildren in the Alps. Environmental Research. 2020; 198 ():110456.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Angel M. Dzhambov; Peter Lercher; Johannes Rüdisser; Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Iana Markevych. 2020. "Allergic symptoms in association with naturalness, greenness, and greyness: A cross-sectional study in schoolchildren in the Alps." Environmental Research 198, no. : 110456.

Journal article
Published: 04 November 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Background: While greenness has been associated with lower depression, the generalizability of this association in arid landscapes remains undetermined. We assessed the association between depression and residential greenness, but also brownness and grayness among nursing students living in El Paso, Texas (the Chihuahuan desert). Methods: Depression was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale and greenness with the normalized difference vegetation index across three buffer sizes (i.e., 250, 500, and 1000 m). Using data from the National Land Cover Database, two additional measures of land patterns were analyzed: grayness and brownness. Structural equation models were used to assess the relationships of these land patterns to depression and quantify the indirect effects of peer alienation. Results: After adjusting for individual characteristics, at buffers 250 m, greenness was not associated with a decrease in the Incidence Rate Ratios (IRR) of depression (IRR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.12–2.10); however, grayness and brownness were respectively associated with increases by 64% (IRR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.07–2.52) and decreases by 35% (IRR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.42–0.99). At buffer 250 m, peer alienation explained 17.43% (95% CI, −1.79–36.66) of the association between depression and brownness, suggesting a pathway to depression. Conclusions: We did not observe an association between depression and residential greenness in El Paso, Texas. However, we did observe a protective association between brownness and depression and an adverse association with grayness. These results have theoretical implications as they were based on commonly used frameworks in this literature, and adverse association of brownness (and the lack of greenness) and depression was expected.

ACS Style

José Nazif-Munoz; José Cedeno Laurent; Matthew Browning; John Spengler; Héctor Olvera Álvarez. Green, Brown, and Gray: Associations between Different Measurements of Land Patterns and Depression among Nursing Students in El Paso, Texas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 8146 .

AMA Style

José Nazif-Munoz, José Cedeno Laurent, Matthew Browning, John Spengler, Héctor Olvera Álvarez. Green, Brown, and Gray: Associations between Different Measurements of Land Patterns and Depression among Nursing Students in El Paso, Texas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (21):8146.

Chicago/Turabian Style

José Nazif-Munoz; José Cedeno Laurent; Matthew Browning; John Spengler; Héctor Olvera Álvarez. 2020. "Green, Brown, and Gray: Associations between Different Measurements of Land Patterns and Depression among Nursing Students in El Paso, Texas." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 21: 8146.

Journal article
Published: 04 November 2020 in Environmental Research
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The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly changed people's ability to recreate in public green spaces, which is likely to exacerbate the psychological impacts of the pandemic. In the current study, we seek to understand whether greenery can support mental health even with insufficient outdoor exposure in times of physical isolation from the outdoor environment. Between 17 May and 10 June, 2020, we conducted an online survey among 323 students (21.99 ± 3.10 years; 31% male) in health-related programs from two universities in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Severities of depressive and anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale. We employed two self-reported measures of greenery experienced indoors (number of houseplants in the home and proportion of exterior greenery visible from inside the home) and two measures of greenery experienced outdoors (presence/absence of a domestic garden and availability of neighborhood greenery). Restorative quality of the home (the “being away” dimension of the Perceived Restorativeness Scale; PRS) and the neighborhood (the “being away” and “fascination” dimensions of the PRS), engagement with outdoor greenery (frequency of different types of interaction) and perceived social support were treated as mediators. Associations between greenery and mental health were tested using generalized linear regression and logistic regression. Structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques were used to test the theoretically-indicated relations among the variables. Clinically-meaningful symptoms of moderate depression and anxiety were reported by approximately 33% and 20% of the students, respectively. The relative abundance of greenery visible from the home or in the neighborhood was associated with reduced depressive/anxiety symptoms and lower depression/anxiety rates. Having more houseplants or a garden was also associated with some of these markers of mental health. As hypothesized, the mental health-supportive effects of indoor greenery were largely explained by increased feelings of being away while at home. Neighborhood greenery contributed to neighborhood restorative quality, which in turn facilitated social support and more frequent engagement with greenery, and that led to better mental health. Students who spent most of their time at home during the COVID-19 epidemic experienced better mental health when exposed to more greenery. Our findings support the idea that exposure to greenery may be a valuable resource during social isolation in the home. However, causal interpretation of these associations is not straightforward.

ACS Style

Angel M. Dzhambov; Peter Lercher; Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Drozdstoy Stoyanov; Nadezhda Petrova; Stoyan Novakov; Donka D. Dimitrova. Does greenery experienced indoors and outdoors provide an escape and support mental health during the COVID-19 quarantine? Environmental Research 2020, 196, 110420 .

AMA Style

Angel M. Dzhambov, Peter Lercher, Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Drozdstoy Stoyanov, Nadezhda Petrova, Stoyan Novakov, Donka D. Dimitrova. Does greenery experienced indoors and outdoors provide an escape and support mental health during the COVID-19 quarantine? Environmental Research. 2020; 196 ():110420.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Angel M. Dzhambov; Peter Lercher; Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Drozdstoy Stoyanov; Nadezhda Petrova; Stoyan Novakov; Donka D. Dimitrova. 2020. "Does greenery experienced indoors and outdoors provide an escape and support mental health during the COVID-19 quarantine?" Environmental Research 196, no. : 110420.

Journal article
Published: 03 November 2020 in Landscape and Urban Planning
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Converging evidence from hundreds of studies suggests that contact with nature enhances learning in elementary and high school students –– could greening in and around schoolyards improve academic achievement in sixth grade students, many of whom are negotiating the transition from elementary to middle school? This study examines the greenness-academic achievement relationship in 450 public schools in Washington State using two different measures of greenness (tree canopy cover and total green cover as assessed via NDVI), at two different scales (250m and 1000m radial buffers around a school), with two different measures of school achievement (the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards in reading and math). Six of eight spatial error models showed statistically significant, positive relationships between school greenness and achievement in sixth-graders — tree canopy within 250m of a school predicted better performance in both reading and math, as did total greenness within 250m, and tree canopy within 1000m — even after controlling for 17 potential confounders, including student characteristics, school resources, size, and location. Further analyses suggest that the greenness-achievement ties are primarily driven by the tree cover within 250m of a school. If a community wanted to experiment with greening schools for academic achievement, these findings provide clues as to what might be best to plant and where, suggesting that planting trees within 250m might maximize any effect on achievement.

ACS Style

Ming Kuo; Samantha E Klein; Matthew Hem Browning; Jaime Zaplatosch. Greening for academic achievement: Prioritizing what to plant and where. Landscape and Urban Planning 2020, 206, 103962 .

AMA Style

Ming Kuo, Samantha E Klein, Matthew Hem Browning, Jaime Zaplatosch. Greening for academic achievement: Prioritizing what to plant and where. Landscape and Urban Planning. 2020; 206 ():103962.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ming Kuo; Samantha E Klein; Matthew Hem Browning; Jaime Zaplatosch. 2020. "Greening for academic achievement: Prioritizing what to plant and where." Landscape and Urban Planning 206, no. : 103962.

Preprint
Published: 12 October 2020
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Background: While greenness has been associated with lower depression, the generalizability of this association in arid landscapes remains undetermined. We assessed the association between depression and greenness among nursing students living in El Paso, Texas (the Chihuahuan desert). Methods: Depression was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale, and greenness with the normalized difference vegetation index (at buffer sizes =250m, 500m, 1000m). Using data from the National Land Cover Database two additional measures of land patterns were analyzed: grayness and brownness. Structural equation models were used to assess the relationships of these land patterns to depression and quantify the indirect effects of peer alienation. Results: After adjusting for individual characteristics, at buffers 250 m greenness was associated with a decrease in the Incidence Rate Ratios (IRR) of depression by 49% (IRR, 0.51; 95%CI, 0.12-2.10), greyness with increases by 64% (IRR, 1.64; 95%CI, 1.07-2.52) and brownness with decreases by 35% (IRR, 0.65; 95%CI, 0.42-0.99). At buffer 250 m peer alienation explained 17.43% (95% CI, -1.79-36.66) of the association between depression and brownness, suggesting a pathway to depression. Conclusions: We did not observe an association between depression and residential greenness in El Paso, Texas. However, we did observe a protective association between brownness and depression as well as an adverse association with grayness. These results have theoretical implications as based on commonly used frameworks in this literature and adverse association of brownness (and the lack of greenness) and depression was expected.

ACS Style

Jose Nazif-Munoz; Jose Cedeno Laurent; Matthew Browning; John D Spengler; Héctor Olvera Álvarez. Some Green is Better than Nothing: Associations between Dfferent Measurements of Land Patterns and Depression among Nursing Students in El Paso, Texas. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Jose Nazif-Munoz, Jose Cedeno Laurent, Matthew Browning, John D Spengler, Héctor Olvera Álvarez. Some Green is Better than Nothing: Associations between Dfferent Measurements of Land Patterns and Depression among Nursing Students in El Paso, Texas. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jose Nazif-Munoz; Jose Cedeno Laurent; Matthew Browning; John D Spengler; Héctor Olvera Álvarez. 2020. "Some Green is Better than Nothing: Associations between Dfferent Measurements of Land Patterns and Depression among Nursing Students in El Paso, Texas." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 31 May 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Urban green space use is often associated with improved physical and mental health and lower noncommunicable disease (NCDs) burdens. Factors that influence green space visits have been documented in cities of the Global North, but evidence of urban green space use patterns for cities in the Global South is scarce. The aim of this study is to investigate factors influencing urban green space use patterns in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a megacity of the Global South, with a particular focus on how poor health condition and healthcare professionals’ prescriptions to exercise outdoors (park prescriptions—ParkRx) impact the green space use of middle-aged adults. We collected green space characteristics and use factors (i.e., availability, accessibility, attractiveness, and attachment), health condition, ParkRx, and urban green space use intensity (i.e., frequency and duration) via a self-reported questionnaire from 169 middle-aged residents of Dhaka. We used multivariate modeling to estimate the association of green space characteristics, health condition, and ParkRx with use intensity. We further applied a mediation analysis to determine the influence of ParkRx on the relationship between residents’ poor health conditions and use intensity. We found that green space availability and accessibility did not significantly influence use intensity, but attractiveness was negatively associated with use intensity. Green space use intensity was significantly and positively associated with attachment to the green space, poor health condition (i.e., having noncommunicable diseases), and ParkRx. ParkRx significantly mediated the relationship between health condition and use intensity. We observed limited supply, poor access, and low attractiveness when studying the urban green spaces in Dhaka, but these qualities did not affect use intensity, as found in many case studies in the Global North. In contrast, urban green space use intensity in our case study is mostly dependent on poor health condition and park prescriptions.

ACS Style

S.M. Labib; Faysal Kabir Shuvo; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Alessandro Rigolon. Noncommunicable Diseases, Park Prescriptions, and Urban Green Space Use Patterns in a Global South Context: The Case of Dhaka, Bangladesh. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 1 .

AMA Style

S.M. Labib, Faysal Kabir Shuvo, Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Alessandro Rigolon. Noncommunicable Diseases, Park Prescriptions, and Urban Green Space Use Patterns in a Global South Context: The Case of Dhaka, Bangladesh. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (11):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

S.M. Labib; Faysal Kabir Shuvo; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Alessandro Rigolon. 2020. "Noncommunicable Diseases, Park Prescriptions, and Urban Green Space Use Patterns in a Global South Context: The Case of Dhaka, Bangladesh." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 11: 1.

Review
Published: 23 February 2020 in Environment and Behavior
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We review the methods and findings of experiments that have examined the effects of exposure to simulated natural landscapes on human health and cognitive performance. Keyword searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science resulted in the inclusion of 175 experiments in 148 research articles. that were published/in press by December 31, 2018. We report how often landscape features and human factors are controlled for within these experiments, thereby—for the first time—recording specifically what elements of “nature” and the built/social environment are used when testing the benefits of green space and blue space exposure. We also document all the simulation methods that are used (e.g., duration, number of exposures, senses engaged, and devices used). Next, to determine what methodological decisions influence study findings, we compare positive versus mixed/null or negative findings across 14 potential moderators. Only study quality and outcome measure influence findings; experiments without control groups or randomized treatments reported more positive findings than expected. Experiments studying perceived restoration also reported more positive findings than expected—remarkably, 95% of such experiments reported simulated nature was indeed restorative. We discuss the possibility that these findings may indicate publication bias in favor of overreporting the salutory impacts of natural landscapes. We conclude our review with a synthesis of best practices for future research studies.

ACS Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Fatemeh Saeidi-Rizi; Olivia McAnirlin; Hyunseo Yoon; Yue Pei. The Role of Methodological Choices in the Effects of Experimental Exposure to Simulated Natural Landscapes on Human Health and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review. Environment and Behavior 2020, 53, 687 -731.

AMA Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Fatemeh Saeidi-Rizi, Olivia McAnirlin, Hyunseo Yoon, Yue Pei. The Role of Methodological Choices in the Effects of Experimental Exposure to Simulated Natural Landscapes on Human Health and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review. Environment and Behavior. 2020; 53 (7):687-731.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Fatemeh Saeidi-Rizi; Olivia McAnirlin; Hyunseo Yoon; Yue Pei. 2020. "The Role of Methodological Choices in the Effects of Experimental Exposure to Simulated Natural Landscapes on Human Health and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review." Environment and Behavior 53, no. 7: 687-731.

Journal article
Published: 26 November 2019 in Landscape and Urban Planning
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Greenspace is increasingly examined as a low-cost way to increase standardized test scores in public schools. However, the evidence for this intervention is mixed. One potential explanation is the variety of ways that greenspace is measured using remotely sensed data. For instance, aggregate measures can be captured from tree, grass, and shrub cover classifications in high-resolution (1 m2) land cover datasets or they can be measured with normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) values from sensors at different resolutions (e.g., 30 m2 or 250 m2). In the current cross-sectional observational study, we tested the relationship between five greenspace measures and third-grade math and reading standardized tests scores in Maryland public schools (n = 668) around schools and in children's neighborhoods. Low- and high-resolution greenspace measures were highly correlated with each other, but moderate-resolution measures were not. Multivariate regression models revealed positive associations between academic performance and low-resolution NDVI measures around schools and in neighborhoods as well as between performance and tree cover in neighborhoods. These effects were attenuated when an understudied confounder in this body of literature was included: population density as a measure of urbanicity. Grass cover showed associations with performance in models adjusted for urbanicity, but the direction of these associations was negative. These findings suggest that the possible association between greenspace and academic performance is complex and tenuous when examined with observational, cross-sectional study designs in limited geographic regions.

ACS Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Dexter Locke. The greenspace-academic performance link varies by remote sensing measure and urbanicity around Maryland public schools. Landscape and Urban Planning 2019, 195, 103706 .

AMA Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Dexter Locke. The greenspace-academic performance link varies by remote sensing measure and urbanicity around Maryland public schools. Landscape and Urban Planning. 2019; 195 ():103706.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Dexter Locke. 2019. "The greenspace-academic performance link varies by remote sensing measure and urbanicity around Maryland public schools." Landscape and Urban Planning 195, no. : 103706.

Editorial
Published: 19 July 2019 in Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine
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Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Hector A. Olvera Alvarez. Editorial commentary: Scanning for threats and natural environments giving our reptilian brains a break. Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine 2019, 30, 247 -248.

AMA Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Hector A. Olvera Alvarez. Editorial commentary: Scanning for threats and natural environments giving our reptilian brains a break. Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine. 2019; 30 (4):247-248.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Hector A. Olvera Alvarez. 2019. "Editorial commentary: Scanning for threats and natural environments giving our reptilian brains a break." Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine 30, no. 4: 247-248.

Journal article
Published: 09 May 2019 in Environmental Research
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Growing up in poverty is associated with poor health, and the American Dream of upward mobility is becoming an illusion for many low-income children. But nearby green space can support academic achievement, creativity, and emotional regulation, and these traits might help children rise out of poverty. To examine the relationship between recent incomes of children born into poverty in the 10 largest U.S. cities and densities of residential green space during childhood. We calculate park proximity, park acreage, new park development, and NDVI greenness for 1980–1990 from Landsat and Trust for Public Land data. We obtain the 2014 income for children born between 1978 and 1982 into families in poverty from The Opportunity Atlas cohort, aggregated at the tract level (n = 5849). Conditional autoregressive (CAR) models of tracts show statistically significant associations between income rank and above-average levels of greenness but not between income rank and park measures, adjusting for individual and neighborhood confounders and spatial autocorrelation. We estimate that, over a 30-year career, children growing up in tracts with the most vegetative cover will earn cumulatively $28,000 more than children growing up in tracts with the least cover, on average. Tracts with lower than average levels of precipitation, higher disadvantage, higher population density, or higher annual temperatures do not show beneficial effects of green space. Greenness may be weakly associated with children rising out of poverty in wetter, cooler, less-dense, more advantaged census tracts.

ACS Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Alessandro Rigolon. Could nature help children rise out of poverty? Green space and future earnings from a cohort in ten U.S. cities. Environmental Research 2019, 176, 108449 .

AMA Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Alessandro Rigolon. Could nature help children rise out of poverty? Green space and future earnings from a cohort in ten U.S. cities. Environmental Research. 2019; 176 ():108449.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Alessandro Rigolon. 2019. "Could nature help children rise out of poverty? Green space and future earnings from a cohort in ten U.S. cities." Environmental Research 176, no. : 108449.

Correction
Published: 20 March 2019 in Environmental Management
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The original article was published with few incorrect contexts.

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Carena J. Van Riper; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Douglas Becker; William Stewart; Cory D. Suski; Lara Browning; Elizabeth Golebie. Correction to: Human–Nature Relationships and Normative Beliefs Influence Behaviors that Reduce the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species. Environmental Management 2019, 63, 835 -835.

AMA Style

Carena J. Van Riper, Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Douglas Becker, William Stewart, Cory D. Suski, Lara Browning, Elizabeth Golebie. Correction to: Human–Nature Relationships and Normative Beliefs Influence Behaviors that Reduce the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species. Environmental Management. 2019; 63 (6):835-835.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carena J. Van Riper; Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Douglas Becker; William Stewart; Cory D. Suski; Lara Browning; Elizabeth Golebie. 2019. "Correction to: Human–Nature Relationships and Normative Beliefs Influence Behaviors that Reduce the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species." Environmental Management 63, no. 6: 835-835.

Journal article
Published: 04 March 2019 in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
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People who live near more greenspace report less anxiety and depression. Do these findings hold for elderly populations living in care facilities, such as nursing homes? The answer to this question has not been directly examined. Studies on the relationship between greenspace and mental health in this population have focused on nature-based therapy programs rather than on greenspace coverage. Research on outdoor greenspace coverage is important for facility design. Facilities should know whether to prioritize greening investments in indoor atriums where programming can be provided year-round or in outdoor greenspace, which can also promote health by providing restorative views and reducing harmful exposures (e.g., noise and air pollution). To investigate whether nursing homes residents benefit from outdoor greenspace cover, we examined the relationship between tree canopy cover around 9,186 U.S. nursing homes and the percentage of residents suffering from depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms data were obtained from the 2011 Minimum Data Set, and canopy data were obtained from the 2011 National Land Cover Database. Because facilities with more resources and higher qualities of care might also have more trees, we gathered 2011 data on occupancy rates, staffing ratios, age, sex, percent Medicaid eligibility, care needs, for-profit status, presence of special care units from the Long Term Care Focus dataset as well as air quality and population density and used these potential covariates in adjusted generalized linear mixed models and spatial lag models. We observed an inverse relationship between depressive symptoms and tree cover surrounding facilities. Associations did not vary by aggregated racial or socioeconomic characteristics of residents but did became weaker at greater distances from facilities. These findings provide hypotheses for future testing regarding whether nursing homes should incorporate outdoor greening in addition to nature-based therapy programs for residents’ mental health.

ACS Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Kangjae Lee; Kathleen L. Wolf. Tree cover shows an inverse relationship with depressive symptoms in elderly residents living in U.S. nursing homes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2019, 41, 23 -32.

AMA Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning, Kangjae Lee, Kathleen L. Wolf. Tree cover shows an inverse relationship with depressive symptoms in elderly residents living in U.S. nursing homes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 2019; 41 ():23-32.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew H.E.M. Browning; Kangjae Lee; Kathleen L. Wolf. 2019. "Tree cover shows an inverse relationship with depressive symptoms in elderly residents living in U.S. nursing homes." Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 41, no. : 23-32.

Journal article
Published: 28 February 2019 in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
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Green land covers (i.e., forests and parks) are associated with better human health. Better health, in turn, may lead to lower spending on healthcare, an increasingly large portion of the budget of both American citizens and the government. There is, however, a significant gap in our knowledge on the direct association between green covers and health care costs. We estimated associations between the percentage of green land cover in a county and its age- and risk-adjusted Medicare fee-for-service expenditures for each of five types of green land cover (forest, shrub, grass, agriculture, and urban vegetation) drawn from the 2011 National Land Cover Database. Generalized linear mixed models were used to predict median regionally standardized per-capita Medicare expenditures for 2010-2014 for 3,086 counties (comprising over 30 million Medicare fee-for-service users), with state as a random effect and controls for environmental, behavioral, and healthcare access covariates. We found associations between two types of green land cover and healthcare spending. Forest and shrub covers were significantly and inversely associated with median Medicare fee-for-service spending with small effect sizes. Grass land cover did not have a statistically significant association with expenditures. For agriculture and urban vegetation land covers, the results were unclear. Counties with more forest and shrub land cover may hold both health and economic benefits for the elderly and disabled. This study demonstrates that exposure to green land cover may be linked to lower healthcare spending. However, more definitive studies, particularly those that use individual-level data, are needed.

ACS Style

Douglas A. Becker; Matthew Browning; Ming Kuo; Stephen K. Van Den Eeden. Is green land cover associated with less health care spending? Promising findings from county-level Medicare spending in the continental United States. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2019, 41, 39 -47.

AMA Style

Douglas A. Becker, Matthew Browning, Ming Kuo, Stephen K. Van Den Eeden. Is green land cover associated with less health care spending? Promising findings from county-level Medicare spending in the continental United States. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 2019; 41 ():39-47.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Douglas A. Becker; Matthew Browning; Ming Kuo; Stephen K. Van Den Eeden. 2019. "Is green land cover associated with less health care spending? Promising findings from county-level Medicare spending in the continental United States." Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 41, no. : 39-47.

Review
Published: 01 February 2019 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Background: Scholars and policymakers have criticized public education in developed countries for perpetuating health and income disparities. Several studies have examined the ties between green space and academic performance, hypothesizing that green space can foster performance, and, over time, help reduce such disparities. Although numerous reviews have analyzed the link between nature and child health, none have focused on academic achievement. Methods: We identified 13 peer-reviewed articles that examined associations between academic outcomes, types of green spaces, and distances in which green spaces were measured around schools. Results: Of the 122 findings reported in the 13 articles, 64% were non-significant, 8% were significant and negative, and 28% were significant and positive. Positive findings were limited to greenness, tree cover, and green land cover at distances up to 2000 m around schools. End-of-semester grades and college preparatory exams showed greater shares of positive associations than math or reading test scores. Most findings regarding writing test scores were non-significant, and moderation effects of socioeconomic status, gender, and urbanization showed mixed results. Conclusions: The extant literature on green space and academic performance is small, shows mixed results, and mostly includes articles using observational, school-level research designs. Regardless, there is sufficient evidence to warrant further research on this topic, including effect moderation and mechanistic pathways.

ACS Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Alessandro Rigolon. School Green Space and Its Impact on Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2019, 16, 429 .

AMA Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Alessandro Rigolon. School Green Space and Its Impact on Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16 (3):429.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew H. E. M. Browning; Alessandro Rigolon. 2019. "School Green Space and Its Impact on Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 3: 429.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2018 in Landscape and Urban Planning
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Recent studies find vegetation around schools correlates positively with student test scores. To test this relationship in schools with less green cover and more disadvantaged students, we replicated a leading study, using six years of NDVI-derived greenness data to predict school-level math and reading achievement in 404 Chicago public schools. A direct replication yielded highly mixed results with some significant positive relationships between greenness and academic achievement, some negative, and some null – but accompanying VIF scores in the thousands indicated untenable levels of multicollinearity. An adjusted replication corrected for multicollinearity and yielded stable results; surprisingly, all models then showed near-zero but statistically significant negative relationships between greenness and performance. In low-green, high-disadvantage schools, negative greenness-academic performance links may reflect the predominance of grass in measures of overall greenness and/or insufficient statistical controls for the moderating effect of disadvantage.

ACS Style

Matthew Browning; Ming Kuo; Sonya Sachdeva; Kangjae Lee; Lynne Westphal. Greenness and school-wide test scores are not always positively associated – A replication of “linking student performance in Massachusetts elementary schools with the ‘greenness’ of school surroundings using remote sensing”. Landscape and Urban Planning 2018, 178, 69 -72.

AMA Style

Matthew Browning, Ming Kuo, Sonya Sachdeva, Kangjae Lee, Lynne Westphal. Greenness and school-wide test scores are not always positively associated – A replication of “linking student performance in Massachusetts elementary schools with the ‘greenness’ of school surroundings using remote sensing”. Landscape and Urban Planning. 2018; 178 ():69-72.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Matthew Browning; Ming Kuo; Sonya Sachdeva; Kangjae Lee; Lynne Westphal. 2018. "Greenness and school-wide test scores are not always positively associated – A replication of “linking student performance in Massachusetts elementary schools with the ‘greenness’ of school surroundings using remote sensing”." Landscape and Urban Planning 178, no. : 69-72.