Buczylowska lead a team that found a link between children living near greenspaces and ADHD among those children generated via the effects of that greenspace on how physically active those children were. The researchers share that they “examined the association between lifelong exposure to greenspace and ADHD diagnosis and potential underlying mechanisms (i.e., perceived greenspace, PA [ physical activity], neighbourhood social cohesion, and neighbourhood safety) in children aged 10–13 with and without ADHD. . . . Greenspace exposure was defined as the percentage of grass and tree cover in 500 m and 1 km buffers around lifelong residential addresses, respectively. Parents reported information about the availability of domestic garden and data on potential mediators was collected with questionnaires. . . . tree cover was positively related to PA, and PA was subsequently negatively related to ADHD diagnosis. Tree cover and garden were both associated with higher levels of perceived greenspace, which in turn related to stronger perceptions of neighbourhood social cohesion.”
Dorota Buczylowska, Nitika Singh, and 11 others. 2024. “Lifelong Greenspace Exposur and ADHD in Polish Children: Role of Physical Activity and Perceived Neighbourhood Characteristics.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 96, 102313, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102313