Conference Agenda

In recent years, green space has been prescribed as a cost-effective and accessible tool for improving mental health. While numerous studies have reviewed the beneficial effects of greenspace on mental health and wellbeing, this has typically been completed using categorical exposures (i.e. intervention vs control), which does not reveal the dose-response relationship. This study aims to review and synthesise the data into a unified continuous metric based on the duration of immersion in green space. Relevant databases were searched for controlled studies published within the past 20 years reporting associations between green space exposure and validated measures of depression and anxiety. Forty-two published papers are to be included with preliminary dose-response curves being generated using standardised mean difference scores. A meta-analysis will then be conducted on study-specific dose-response parameters to estimate pooled exposure-response relationships, permitting the prediction of mental health outcomes for different durations of weekly greenspace exposure. Random-effects meta-analyses will be completed on the pooled estimates across the studies, as well as sensitivity analyses being conducted to assess the robustness of the estimated dose-response relationship. Subgroup analysis will be conducted where numbers permit. We will then draw conclusions on the outcomes and offer tentative guidelines for regular weekly access to greenspaces to accrue benefits to mental health and wellbeing.