A study conducted by researchers from Stockholm University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden showed that living near green spaces may be associated with a reduced risk of dementia by up to 20 percent, highlighting the importance of the residential environment in supporting brain health and maintaining cognitive abilities with age.
Study Methodology
The website "Euronews" reported two days ago that the study, published in the journal "Alzheimer's & Dementia," included about three thousand people and followed their health and cognitive status over 16 years. Researchers assessed the area of vegetation cover surrounding their homes and monitored the development of dementia cases among them during the study period.
Results and Determinants
The results showed that the association between green spaces and a reduced risk of dementia was most pronounced among people living within a distance of up to 100 meters from planted areas, while this association decreased with increasing distance, indicating the importance of having green spaces near residential areas.
Factors and Mechanisms
Researchers explained that this relationship may be linked to several factors, including the role of natural environments in reducing stress and improving mental health, encouraging physical activity and social interaction, improving sleep quality, as well as the possibility of reducing exposure to some harmful environmental factors, such as air pollution, traffic noise, and rising temperatures.
Recommendations
Researchers pointed out that the results highlight the importance of considering brain health in urban planning, by preserving and expanding green spaces, and facilitating access to and use of them by various population groups, especially the elderly and people with limited mobility.
Study Limitations
The study confirmed an association between proximity to green spaces and a reduced risk of dementia, but it does not prove that living near them directly leads to disease prevention, which calls for further research to understand the factors and mechanisms that may explain this relationship.
Dementia is considered one of the disorders that affect memory and cognitive abilities, and may limit the ability of those affected to carry out their daily activities independently, making research into environmental factors associated with the risk of contracting it important to support health with age.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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