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Metas de Enfermería

Metas de Enfermería

NOVIEMBRE 2016 N° 9 Volumen 19

The influence of urban green areas on mental health

Section: Revisiones

How to quote

Merayo Rodríguez J, Serrano Fuentes N, Marqués Sánchez P. Influencia de los espacios verdes urbanos en la salud mental. Metas Enferm nov 2016; 19(9): 20-26.

Authors

Judit Merayo Rodríguez1, Néstor Serrano Fuentes2, Pilar Marqués Sánchez3

Position

1Enfermera Interna Residente (EIR). Unidad Docente Multidisciplinar de Atención Familiar y Comunitaria. León Zona II-Ponferrada. Gerencia de Atención Primaria. El Bierzo. Centro de Salud Ponferrada III2Máster Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Sociosanitarias (Universidad de León). Departamento de Cardiología. Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. Grupo de Investigación Salud, Bienestar y Sostenibilidad Socio-Sanitaria (SALBIS). Universidad de León3Doctora por la Universidad de León. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Campus de Ponferrada. Grupo de Investigación Salud, Bienestar y Sostenibilidad Socio-Sanitaria (SALBIS). Universidad de León

Contact address

Judit Merayo Rodríguez. Avda. de Portugal, 5-3º D. 24403 Ponferrada (León).

Contact email: juditmerayor@gmail.com

Abstract

Objetivo: describir cómo afecta la presencia de espacios verdes de las ciudades a la salud mental de los ciudadanos.
Método: revisión narrativa de artículos de revistas científicas en salud mental y en diseño ambiental. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos Scopus y Web of Science (WOS). Los criterios de inclusión fueron artículos publicados entre los años 2010 y 2015 en revistas científicas con factor de impacto que hagan referencia a estudios empíricos sobre cómo afectan las zonas verdes urbanas a la salud mental de los individuos.
Resultados: veintinueve estudios fueron incluidos en la revisión. La evidencia apoyó que la presencia de espacios verdes en las ciudades se relaciona con mejores niveles de salud mental en la población, afectando sobre todo a niveles de estrés, ansiedad, duración del sueño, rendimiento académico y autopercepción de la
salud.
Conclusiones: estos hallazgos abren un nuevo campo de actuación para el profesional de la Enfermería, participando en equipos multidisciplinares que planifiquen y diseñen espacios medioambientales saludables. Este planteamiento tiene una aplicación práctica en las políticas sanitarias, la prevención de la enfermedad mental y la promoción de la salud.

Keywords:

Public green areas; mental health; health promotion; urban environment; quality of lifewellbeing

Versión en Español

Título:

Influencia de los espacios verdes urbanos en la salud mental

Objective: to describe the impact of the presence of green areas in cities upon the mental health of citizens
Method: a narrative review of scientific journal articles on mental health and environmental design. A bibliographic search was conducted on the Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases. The inclusion criteria were: articles published between 2010 and 2015 in scientific journals with impact factor, which refer to empirical studies about the impact of urban green areas on the mental health of individuals.
Results: twenty-nine studies were included in the review. The evidence supported that the presence of green areas in cities is associated with better levels of mental health in the population, with particular impact on the levels of stress, anxiety, sleep duration, academic performance and self-perception of health.
Conclusions: these findings open up a new field of action for Nursing professionals, by participating in multidisciplinary teams to plan and design healthy environmental spaces. This approach has a practical application in healthcare policies, prevention of mental conditions, and health promotion.

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