Living in a green area can make you live longer, according to the research published today.
The research also shows that the difference in life expectancy (平均寿命) between rich and
poor becomes smaller among those who live in an environment with parks and trees.
     Richard Mitchell, from Glasgow University, and his colleagues, found that the gap between
the number of deaths of people on high incomes and the number of deaths of those on low
incomes in green areas was half that compared with figures relating to builtup areas.
     Green spaces, classified by the researchers as "open, undeveloped land with natural
vegetation", encouraged people to walk and be more active. Exercise in these settings could
have greater benefits than exercise elsewhere, the researchers said.
     The benefits potentially go beyond exercise. Studies have shown that being around green
spaces can reduce blood pressure and stress levels, and possibly help patients recover faster.
     A number of researchers have looked at the effects of greenery on our wellbeing. But few
studies had looked at whether living in green areas reduced health inequalities, the Glasgow
team said.
     Using information from a landuse database of 2001, the researchers divided the preretirement
population of England into four groups according to income level, and five groups according to
access to green space. They then looked at death rate for 2001-2005.
     They found that the inequality in death rate from all causes relating to lack of money was less
in those populations in the greenest areas compared with the figures for people living in more
builtup places. They found an even stronger relationship when it came to deaths from certain
diseases such as heart conditions and stroke (中风). There was no difference, however, in
deaths from lung cancer.
     The researchers said that changing the physical environment was an easier way to fight
against poor health than using media campaigns or giving out information on health. "The result
of the study is clear, environments that promote good health might be very important in the fight
to reduce health inequalities."