Children who are exposed to the green environment may have a lower risk of developing ADHD

The amount of green space around children’s homes may be important for the risk of developing ADHD. This is illustrated by new search results from iPSYCH.

A team of researchers from Aarhus University has studied how green space around the residence affects the risk of children and teens getting ADHD. And the researchers are looking for an association.

“Our findings show that children who have been exposed to a less green environment in their residential area are in their early childhood, which we define as surviving up to the age of five. , are at greater risk of being diagnosed with ADHD compared to children who have been surrounded by the highest level of green space, ”says Malene Thygesen, one of the researchers behind the study.

ADHD is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among children and affects those with the disorder in different ways. It is not yet known why some children develop ADHD. ADHD can be hereditary, but other factors can also play a role. For this reason, there are strong arguments for research into the reasons for children developing the diagnosis. One condition that has been interesting for research is children’s access to green space, as previous studies have found a link with children’s mental wellbeing and brain development.

Full study

One study does not provide a sufficient basis for concluding that there is a link between access to green environments and the risk of children developing ADHD, as further studies are needed. But the results of Malene Thygesen and the team’s research are the same as the results of similar research projects before, and the study’s research methods have taken into account many of the other factors that may be involved in the development of ADHD.

In the study we adjusted for gender, age, year of birth of the child, and parental psychosocial judgment and socioeconomic status, and neighborhood level socioeconomic status. Our study is robust because it involves many individuals and because the information is very detailed. For example, we use data based on clinical studies of ADHD conducted by experts. ”

Malene Thygesen, Researcher

Ideas for further research

The research article written on the basis of this study can be found in the journal Environmental health considerations and may encourage researchers to continue exploring the link between access to green spaces and the risk of children being diagnosed with ADHD or another diagnosis.

“It’s interesting to think that living in green environments could be a protective factor for children at risk of developing ADHD.”

Approach

The study uses data on the addresses of more than 800,000 people born from 1992 and up to 2007, as well as information on clinical ADHD diagnosis from age five to 2016. In addition, the researchers use a specific measure of how green the environment around a home is, the typical different vegetation index. This measurement puts the address in the middle of a square space with 210 meters on each side, and on this basis it measures how green the surrounding area is.

Background for the results

• The study is a population-based cohort study that follows a segment of the population to determine health improvement, with this particular study focusing on ADHD clinical studies.
• Partners from Aarhus University: Malene Thygesen, Kristine Engemann, Gitte Juel Holst, Birgitte Hansen, Camilla Geels, Jørgen Brandt, Carsten Bøcker Pedersen, Søren Dalsgaard.
• The study was funded by grants from the Lundbeck Foundation (iPSYCH), Aarhus University Research Trust (AUFF) and Nordforsk (Nordic WelfAir).