Green space and mental health symptoms in a cardiac rehabilitation population

The association between mental health symptoms and the quantity of green space surrounding the homes of people who recently experienced a cardiovascular event were examined while also assessing plausible mechanisms. Both objective- and perception-based metrics were used to characterize the amount of green space in a half-mile buffer around the homes of 142 participants enrolled in a cardiac rehabilitation program. Participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale to assess mental health symptoms. Increased quantity of green space around the home was associated with fewer depressive symptoms but was not clearly associated with symptoms of anxiety and stress. Physical activity in green space was associated with lower odds of all three outcomes, while having green space in view from the home was not associated with any outcome. These results suggest that increased accessible green space near the home may improve depression and promote recovery in this population. This may be due to physical activity in this space.