Nancy M. Wells

Nearby Nature: A Buffer of Life Stress among Rural Children

Identifying mechanisms that buffer children from lifes stress and adversity is an important empirical and practical concern. This study focuses on nature as a buffer of life stress among rural children. To examine whether vegetation near the residential environment might buffer or moderate the impact of stressful life events on childrens psychological well-being, data were collected from 337 rural children in Grades 3 through 5 (mean age=9.2 years). Dependent variables include a standard parent-reported measure of childrens psychological distress and childrens own ratings of global self-worth. In a rural setting, levels of nearby nature moderate the impact of stressful life events on the psychological well-being of children. Specifically, the impact of life stress was lower among children with high levels of nearby nature than among those with little nearby nature. Implications of these finding are discussed with respect to our understanding of resilience and protective mechanisms.

At Home with Nature Effects of “Greenness” on Children’s Cognitive Functioning

The nearby natural environment plays a far more significant role in the well-being of children residing in poor urban environments than has previously been recognized. Using a premove/postmove longitudinal design, this research rules out the effects of various extraneous variables that have plagued previous studies and explores the linkage between the naturalness or restorativeness of the home environment and the cognitive functioning of low-income urban children. Both before and after relocation, objective measures of naturalness are employed along with a standardized instrument measuring the children’s cognitive functioning. Results indicate that children whose homes improved the most in terms of greenness following relocation also tended to have the highest levels of cognitive functioning following the move. The implications with respect to policy and design are also discussed.

Housing and Mental Health: A Review of the Evidence and a Methodological and Conceptual Critique

Despite the fact that people invest more financial, temporal, and psychological resources in their homes than in any other material entity, research on housing and mental health is remarkably underdeveloped. We critically review existing research on housing and mental health, considering housing type (e.g., single-family detached versus multiple dwelling), floor level, and housing quality (e.g., structural damage). We then discuss methodological and conceptual shortcomings of this literature and provide a theoretical framework for future research on housing quality and mental health.

Housing quality and mental health

This study examined the potential link between housing quality and mental health. First, the development of a psychometrically sound, observer-based instrument to assess physical housing quality in ways conceptually relevant to psychological health is reported. Then 2 different studies, including a prospective longitudinal design, demonstrate that physical housing quality predicts mental health. Possible underlying psychosocial processes for the housing quality-psychological distress link are discussed.

Neighborhood Design and Walking : A Quasi-Experimental Longitudinal Study

BACKGROUND Few studies have employed longitudinal data to examine associations between the physical environment and walking. METHODS Using cross-sectional (n=70) and longitudinal (n=32) data (collected 2003-2006), associations of neighborhood design and demographics with walking were examined. Participants were low-income, primarily African-American women in the southeastern U.S. Through a natural experiment, some women relocated to neo-traditional communities (experimental group) and others moved to conventional suburban neighborhoods (control group). RESULTS Post-move cross-sectional comparisons indicated that women in neo-traditional neighborhoods did not, on average, walk more than women in suburban neighborhoods. Race and household size were significant predictors of physical activity. Additionally, using longitudinal data, this study controlled for the effects of pre-move walking and demographics. Analyses examined the effects of environmental factors (e.g., density, land-use mix, street-network patterns) on post-move walking. Women who moved to places with fewer culs-de-sac, on average, walked more. Unexpectedly, increases in land-use mix were associated with less walking. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that neo-traditional neighborhood features alone (e.g., sidewalks, front porches, small set-back distances) may not be enough to affect walking; however, changes in street patterns may play a role.

Early Childhood Poverty, Cumulative Risk Exposure, and Body Mass Index Trajectories Through Young Adulthood

OBJECTIVES We assessed whether cumulative risk exposure underlies the relation between early childhood poverty and body mass index (BMI) trajectories. METHODS We interviewed youths and their mothers in rural upstate New York (168 boys and 158 girls) from 1995 to 2006 when the youths were aged 9, 13, and 17 years. At each interview, we calculated their BMI-for-age percentile. RESULTS Early childhood poverty predicted BMI growth trajectories from ages 9 to 17 years (b = 3.64; SE = 1.39; P < .01). Early childhood poverty also predicted changes in cumulative risk (b = 0.31; SE = 0.08; P < .001). Cumulative risk, in turn, predicted BMI trajectories (b = 2.41; SE = 0.75; P < .01). Finally, after we controlled for cumulative risk, the effect of early childhood poverty on BMI trajectories was no longer significant, indicating that cumulative risk exposure mediated the relation between early childhood poverty and BMI trajectories (b = 2.01; SE = 0.94). CONCLUSIONS We show for the first time that early childhood poverty leads to accelerated weight gain over the course of childhood into early adulthood. Cumulative risk exposure during childhood accounts for much of this accelerated weight gain.

Environment, Design, and Obesity Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Collaborative Research

This article presents a framework for considering the relevance of the physical environment to obesity. The authors adopt the notion that the “environment” constitutes the space outside the person and therefore broaden the common conceptualization of the “environment” to encompass a full spectrum from small-scale design elements to large-scale community infrastructure. An energy balance approach is also adopted. The energy balance perspective recognizes the equilibrium of food consumption and energy expenditure, rather than focusing solely on one or the other side of the equation. The authors consider how environmental characteristics present either barriers (that hinder), or supports (that promote) healthy habits. Thus, they describe a range of obesity-related environmental themes that provide opportunities for innovative collaborative research between environmental psychologists and colleagues in fields ranging from apparel design to landscape architecture. Last, conceptual and methodological considerations are briefly presented.

Environmental Volunteering and Health Outcomes over a 20-Year Period

PURPOSE This study tested the hypothesis that volunteering in environmental organizations in midlife is associated with greater physical activity and improved mental and physical health over a 20-year period. DESIGN AND METHODS The study used data from two waves (1974 and 1994) of the Alameda County Study, a longitudinal study of health and mortality that has followed a cohort of 6,928 adults since 1965. Using logistic and multiple regression models, we examined the prospective association between environmental and other volunteerism and three outcomes (physical activity, self-reported health, and depression), with 1974 volunteerism predicting 1994 outcomes, controlling for a number of relevant covariates. RESULTS Midlife environmental volunteering was significantly associated with physical activity, self-reported health, and depressive symptoms. IMPLICATIONS This population-based study offers the first epidemiological evidence for a significant positive relationship between environmental volunteering and health and well-being outcomes. Further research, including intervention studies, is needed to confirm and shed additional light on these initial findings.

School gardens and physical activity: A randomized controlled trial of low-income elementary schools

OBJECTIVE This study examines effects of a school garden intervention on elementary school childrens physical activity (PA). METHOD Twelve schools in New York were randomly assigned to receive the school garden intervention (n=6) or to the waitlist control group that later received gardens (n=6). PA was measured by self-report survey (Girls Health Enrichment Multi-site Study Activity Questionnaire) (N=227) and accelerometry (N=124, 8 schools) at baseline (Fall 2011) and follow-up (Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013). Direct observation (N=117, 4 schools) was employed to compare indoor (classroom) and outdoor (garden) PA. Analysis was by general linear mixed models. RESULTS Survey data indicate garden intervention childrens reports of usual sedentary activity decreased from pre-garden baseline to post-garden more than the control group childrens (Δ=-.19, p=.001). Accelerometry data reveal that during the school day, children in the garden intervention showed a greater increase in percent of time spent in moderate and moderate-to-vigorous PA from baseline to follow-up than the control group children (Δ=+.58, p=.010; Δ=+1.0, p=.044). Direct observation within-group comparison of children at schools with gardens revealed that children move more and sit less during an outdoor garden-based lesson than during an indoor, classroom-based lesson. CONCLUSION School gardens show some promise to promote childrens PA. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov # NCT02148315.

Environmental Sustainability in an Aging Society: A Research Agenda

Objectives. This article presents the results of a multidisciplinary consensus conference held to recommend a research agenda on the relationship between aging and environmental sustainability and conservation. The intersection of these two topics has important implications for the health and well-being of older persons but it has thus far received little scientific attention. Methods. The consensus conference was conducted with gerontological experts from various disciplines and environmental scientists. Using a structured methodology, participants achieved consensus on recommendations for a research agenda on aging and environmental sustainability. Results. Eight major recommendations for research are detailed in this article as well as cross-cutting research themes affecting all areas, including racial and economic diversity, geographical region, cohort, and intergenerational linkages. Discussion. Given the vulnerability of older persons to environmental threats detailed by the consensus conference, conferees recommended that research on these topics be urgently promoted, both by researchers and by funding agencies.