More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from salivary cortisol patterns

TLDR

Green space is linked to health benefits, yet most evidence relies on self‑report or controlled experiments, with few studies using objective measures in participants’ everyday residential settings. This exploratory study aimed to determine whether salivary cortisol can serve as a biomarker for stress variation associated with green‑space exposure and to assess the feasibility of unsupervised cortisol sampling in a highly deprived urban population. Twenty‑five residents provided unsupervised salivary cortisol samples at home, while self‑reported stress and wellbeing were recorded to examine relationships between cortisol, wellbeing, and proximity to green space. Results revealed significant associations between self‑reported stress, diurnal cortisol patterns, and the amount of green space, with regression showing green space as an independent predictor of the circadian cortisol cycle beyond physical activity, and protocol compliance was high, supporting salivary cortisol as a promising tool for studying wellbeing and green space in deprived communities.

Abstract

Green space has been associated with a wide range of health benefits, including stress reduction, but much pertinent evidence has relied on self-reported health indicators or experiments in artificially controlled environmental conditions. Little research has been reported using ecologically valid objective measures with participants in their everyday, residential settings. This paper describes the results of an exploratory study (n = 25) to establish whether salivary cortisol can act as a biomarker for variation in stress levels which may be associated with varying levels of exposure to green spaces, and whether recruitment and adherence to the required, unsupervised, salivary cortisol sampling protocol within the domestic setting could be achieved in a highly deprived urban population. Self-reported measures of stress and general wellbeing were also captured, allowing exploration of relationships between cortisol, wellbeing and exposure to green space close to home. Results indicate significant relationships between self-reported stress (P < 0.01), diurnal patterns of cortisol secretion (P < 0.05), and quantity of green space in the living environment. Regression analysis indicates percentage of green space in the living environment is a significant (P < 0.05) and independent predictor of the circadian cortisol cycle, in addition to self-reported physical activity (P < 0.02). Results also show that compliance with the study protocol was good. We conclude that salivary cortisol measurement offers considerable potential for exploring relationships between wellbeing and green space and discuss how this ecologically valid methodology can be developed to confirm and extend findings in deprived city areas to illuminate why provision of green space close to home might enhance health.