Settlements with more green spaces have a lower rate of bipolar disorder, a Taiwanese research team found.
The researchers of the study shared the results yesterday at a press conference held by the Science Media Center Taiwan.
The research team, using satellite remote sensing, machine learning and data analysis, found a significant negative association between green space and bipolar disorder in Taiwan.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
This is the first study in Taiwan using such research methods to measure the influence of green space on bipolar disorder, said the study’s corresponding author Wu Chih-da (吳治達), an associate professor in National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Geomatics.
The higher the ratio of green spaces in a township, the lower the incidence rate of bipolar disorder, the study found.
Taiwan’s current green space ratio shortens the average life expectancy by 6.1 years, it found.
According to the guidelines of the WHO, urban residents should be able to access a public green space of at least 0.5 hectares within 300m of their homes.
Based on the guidelines, 25.6 percent of each administrative district in Taiwan should be allocated to green spaces, Wu said.
Analyzing the satellite remote sensing data from 2013 to 2014, the team found that 50 townships nationwide failed to meet the WHO standards, he said.
If the amount of green spaces in these townships increases to meet the WHO standards, people can have longer life expectancy and increase their income by about 10 percent, he said.
The result showed the correlation between green spaces and bipolar disorder, which does not mean there is a causal link, he said.
Lee Hsiao-yun (李曉昀), a team member and an assistant professor at National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences’ Department of Leisure Industry and Health Promotion, said that green space is not the only factor related to the diseases, but it is one that can be controlled.
Li Cheng-ta (李正達), a division chief of the psychiatry department at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said that the study results do not directly reflect the mental status of each individual as a result of the amount of green space.
Every case of bipolar disorder is different in symptoms and causes, he said, adding that future studies can look into whether actual exposure to green spaces significantly affects mental disorders.
The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Health and Place.
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