Dissertation
ASSESSING THE ASSOCIATIONS AMONG GREEN SPACE TYPE, STRUCTURE, GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH AND GENERAL HEALTH EMPLOYING THE BRFSS AND THE US NATIONAL LAND COVER DATA
Doctor of Design (DDes), Washington State University
01/2013
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/4761
Abstract
Today, mental health has become a common problem. One of the remedies for this problem includes green space. Researchers have been paying attention to effects of green space on mental and general health for over three decades. Studies have shown that green space plays an important role in mental and general health. However, most of studies considered different types of green space as “simply green” and little was known about what types and structures of green space impact mental health and general health positively or negatively. This research was conducted to determine what types and structures of green space have relationships with general mental health and general health in positive or negative ways. This study consists of three levels. At Level 1, the relationship between amount of unified green space and general mental health and general health was tested. At Level 2, the relationships between different types of green space and general mental health and general health were analyzed. At Level 3, the relationships between structures of significant green space and general mental health and general health were assessed. A multivariate regression model was also used to test whether significant types and structures of green space are predictors of general mental health and general health by controlling socio–demographic characteristics. Level 1 results did not show significant relationships, which means green space types should be considered separately. Level 2 results revealed urban green space was affirmatively correlated with general mental health and general health, forest was affirmatively related to mental health, rangeland was adversely correlated with general mental health and general health, agricultural land was adversely related to general health, and wetlands did not show a significant result. Level 3 results showed that fragmentation and distance were adversely related to general mental health and general health, connectivity is affirmatively related to general mental health and general health, and size and shape did not show significant results. The regression model revealed that significant green space and distance were predictors of general mental health and general health with age, sex, income, and education. Fragmentation and connectivity did not show significant results.
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Details
- Title
- ASSESSING THE ASSOCIATIONS AMONG GREEN SPACE TYPE, STRUCTURE, GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH AND GENERAL HEALTH EMPLOYING THE BRFSS AND THE US NATIONAL LAND COVER DATA
- Creators
- Abdullah Akpinar
- Contributors
- Kerry R Brooks (Advisor)Bob A Scarfo (Committee Member)Celestina Barbosa-Leiker (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Design and Construction, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Design (DDes), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 201
- Identifiers
- 99900581449601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation