Lauren S. Pongetti OTR/L , Fazlay S. Faruque PhD , Benjamin H. Walker PhD
{"title":"Park quality and chronic disease: A city-level analysis","authors":"Lauren S. Pongetti OTR/L , Fazlay S. Faruque PhD , Benjamin H. Walker PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, with disproportionate burdens in urban areas. Urban parks and green spaces may play a protective role in chronic disease prevention, yet few studies have examined how city-wide park quality relates to chronic disease outcomes. This study investigates the relationship between ParkScore, a composite measure of park quality, and the prevalence of eight chronic diseases across 93 of the most populated U.S. cities from 2017 to 2019.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using mixed-effects regression models with repeated measures nested within cities, we examined associations between ParkScore and age-adjusted prevalence of high blood pressure, cancer, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and stroke.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Results revealed significant inverse relationships between ParkScore and four chronic diseases: high blood pressure, cancer, coronary heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. No significant associations were found for diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, or stroke. Additionally, sociodemographic variables including access to health insurance, income, education, race and ethnicity were significantly associated with disease prevalence.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings support growing evidence that park quality may be an important component of chronic disease prevention in urban environments. Additionally, findings support the development and maintenance of quality parks as urban planning strategies aimed at improving public health. Further research is warranted to explore causal pathways, disparities in park access, and the role of parks in addressing complex, multi-factorial chronic diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100265"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sophie Lovell-Kennedy , Laura M. Grieve , Sarah Shemery , Vongayi Mufara , Tamima Lerkins , Benedicta Umanhonlen , Serveh Tamami , Fatma Abdilahi , Amanda Purdie , Helen L. Ball
{"title":"‘We don’t ask for a luxury life, just basic things’: the experiences of mothers with babies in the UK asylum system","authors":"Sophie Lovell-Kennedy , Laura M. Grieve , Sarah Shemery , Vongayi Mufara , Tamima Lerkins , Benedicta Umanhonlen , Serveh Tamami , Fatma Abdilahi , Amanda Purdie , Helen L. Ball","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>UK asylum accommodation has repeatedly been indicted as failing to meet the needs of pregnant individuals, those caring for babies, and all children. Charity-sector staff supporting new mothers in the asylum system expressed concern that ill-equipped and unsuitable accommodation, overt racism and a hostile environment all increased risk to safety for mothers and babies. Concerned particularly by a series of infant deaths in families in UK asylum accommodation, we sought to understand living conditions of mothers and babies seeking asylum in Glasgow. We explored mothers’ lived experience of UK dispersal accommodation, identifying how this may compromise safety and endanger babies. Working collaboratively with Glasgow-based birth-companion charity, Amma, we trained a participatory research team who have lived experience of the UK asylum system. Combining interviews with four mothers, focus group discussion with 12 mothers, and experiences of five participatory researchers, the team explored how dispersal accommodation affected infant care and mothers’ and infants’ safety and well-being. Thematic analysis of interview and focus group transcripts generated three themes discussed by mothers: fear, fear-mongering and unsafe situations; frustration, stress, hostility, and intimidation; and developing agency, asserting rights and being punished. We found that mothers with babies seeking asylum in Glasgow experience substandard accommodation that exposes infants and toddlers to multiple hazards. Hostility and indirect punishment from housing providers and their use of weaponised incompetence compounds this, denying mothers the opportunity to provide a safe living environment, negatively impacting infant safety, and increasing risk both directly and indirectly.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100264"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143935230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rade Zinaic , Tania Correa , Egbe Etowa , Raliat Owolabi , Yamini Bhatt , Josephine Pui-Hing Wong
{"title":"Exploring the impact of community gardens and community kitchens on mental health: a scoping review","authors":"Rade Zinaic , Tania Correa , Egbe Etowa , Raliat Owolabi , Yamini Bhatt , Josephine Pui-Hing Wong","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Participants engaged in community gardens (CGs) processes experience many positive outcomes, from social networking to intimacy with nature. Yet there exists a gap in the literature on CGs between their co-creative and co-participative practices and the impact of such collaborative social practices on mental health, especially as it relates to structurally marginalized populations. To this end, our scoping review explores what is known about the relationship between CGs and mental health benefits. Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review method was used and supplemented by Levac, Colquhoun, and O’Brien’s emphasis on research and policy practice implications. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and they were conducted in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Japan, and Singapore. Most of the studies used qualitative or mixed methods. The CGs in this review were situated in prisons, university campuses, a church, a shelter, urban rooftops, and urban and rural neighbourhoods. These CGs engaged diverse populations, including immigrants, refugees, newcomers, Indigenous peoples, women, seniors, students, youth, racialized peoples, and persons with disabilities and mental health issues. Our results reveal that the mental health of CG participants is inseparable from engagement processes like collaborative place-making labour that engender social connectedness, collaborative learning, empowerment, and a connection to nature. We gesture to the affinities between this co-creative and co-participative process and similar land and/or place-based practices with an eye to the potential for civic participation and/or awareness of human rights to advance mental health equity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100263"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Loneliness and social infrastructure in rural America: A cross-sectional analysis of existing relationships","authors":"Danielle Rhubart, Yiping Li","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100262","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100262","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Loneliness can have deleterious effects on mental, physical and behavioral health. Growing research suggests the important role of social infrastructure in preventing and addressing loneliness. However, much of this work focuses on urban-based case studies, narrow definitions of social infrastructure, and crude measures of use. In addition, research in this area has not taken into account confounding factors that may be explaining this relationship. In this paper, we use a cross-sectional survey of a demographically representative sample (<em>N</em> = 1129) of working-age adults in rural America to examine if a relationship exists between loneliness and multiple types of social infrastructure utilization among rural working-age adults. We also determine if contact with family and friends (i.e. being less socially isolated) explains this relationship. We find that spending >10 min talking with others in coffee shops, diners, and cafes, salons and barbershops, and religious and spiritual organizations in an average week was associated with a significantly lower odds of screening positive for loneliness compared to those who do not go to these places, even after controlling for level of contact with family and friends and other sociodemographic covariates. This relationship was not present for those who use fast food outlets, fitness or recreation places, or libraries, civic organizations and community centers. Implications for future research and for community-level interventions to prevent loneliness are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100262"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143820945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Inclusive streetscapes: Embedding disabled people's lived experience into street accessibility","authors":"Arun Ulahannan, Stewart Birrell, Paul Herriotts","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Disabled people face significant barriers in participating in society, reporting higher anxiety, limited access to education and lower employment prospects compared to non-disabled people. Central to these impacts is the failure of streetscape design to enable the independent movement of disabled people. However, to date, few studies have attempted to capture the lived experience of a disabled person using the streetscape. This empirical semi-structured interview study interviewed 26 people with lived experience of a disability (from around the UK) to define the streetscape barriers faced, the systemic reasons why these issues exist and propose a new path forward. After a standardised and rigorous thematic analysis; critical barriers in streetscape design were identified, the significant impacts on a disabled person were revealed and the reasons for the failure to address the issues were uncovered. This paper puts forward recommendations for streetscape design with direct relevance for local authorities, policy makers and designers in ensuring streetscapes become more accessible. The recommendations will be embedded into new cultures and poli of empowering disabled people in decision making. Future work must now assess the barriers raised in collaboration with disabled people, to prioritise actions and aim for an equitable streetscape for all.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100261"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143820943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karen Witten , Crystal Victoria Olin , Amber Logan , Elinor Chisholm , Edward Randal , Philippa Howden-Chapman , Lori Leigh
{"title":"Placemaking for tenant wellbeing: Exploring the decision-making of public and community housing providers in Aotearoa New Zealand","authors":"Karen Witten , Crystal Victoria Olin , Amber Logan , Elinor Chisholm , Edward Randal , Philippa Howden-Chapman , Lori Leigh","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100258","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100258","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In addition to housing tenants, many public and community housing providers engage in placemaking to foster tenants’ connections to people and place. This paper reports on the placemaking practices of four community housing providers and two urban regeneration programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with provider staff – including those leading strategy, community development, tenancy management, planning and design efforts – to investigate the placemaking strategies adopted by providers and the values, priorities and investment tensions that underpin their decision-making. Common placemaking strategies included site selection to secure tenants’ locational access to community services and amenities, and designing shared ‘bump spaces’ into housing complexes to encourage neighbourly encounters between tenants. Efforts to foster a sense of community through increased stability and diversity of households were hindered by a predominance of single-person units in older housing developments, and by funding and regulatory constraints. Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, comprise approximately half of all public housing tenants and many have deep intergenerational connections to place. Where providers were engaging with Māori, early steps had been taken to incorporate cultural landscapes and values into placemaking initiatives; such practices were more evident in urban regeneration than community housing provider developments, enabled by longer-term planning horizons, broader development mandates and partnerships with iwi (Māori tribes) and local government. Nonetheless, placemaking aspirations of all providers were tethered to resource constraints and investment trade-offs, with any social infrastructure provision weighed up against the value of providing one more home instead.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100258"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Jiménez , Laura Neira Arenas , Erwin Hernando Hernández Rincón , María José García Céspedes , Claudia Liliana Jaimes Peñuela
{"title":"Luminous threats: The health impacts of artificial nighttime light on metabolic and mental health: A scoping review","authors":"Daniel Jiménez , Laura Neira Arenas , Erwin Hernando Hernández Rincón , María José García Céspedes , Claudia Liliana Jaimes Peñuela","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Artificial light at night (ALAN) has been increasingly recognized as a potential disruptor of human health, affecting both metabolic and mental well-being. Growing evidence links ALAN exposure to conditions such as obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and depression.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To conduct a scoping review of the available scientific literature up to September 2024, focusing on the impact of ALAN on metabolic and mental health outcomes. The review also aims to identify existing gaps in the research and provide recommendations for future studies and public health interventions.</div></div><div><h3>Material and Methods</h3><div>This review included studies from databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. The inclusion criteria encompassed publications presenting empirical data and clinical trials in English and Spanish that assessed ALAN exposure and health outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 32 studies were reviewed, with a combined sample size exceeding 1.6 million participants. Study designs varied and included large-scale cohort studies, cross-sectional analyses, and randomized clinical trials. Associations between ALAN exposure and metabolic disorders (<em>n</em> = 14), hypertension (<em>n</em> = 6), T2DM (<em>n</em> = 5), and mental health disorders (<em>n</em> = 7) were identified. Findings consistently suggest that ALAN contributes to chronodisruption, impacting metabolic and psychological health.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>ALAN is a significant environmental factor contributing to adverse health outcomes, particularly metabolic disorders and mental health disturbances. While findings suggest actionable interventions, further longitudinal studies are required to confirm causality and explore preventative strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100260"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rababe Saadaoui , Deirdre Pfeiffer , Eric A. Morris
{"title":"In neighbors we trust: A global perspective on how neighborhood trust shapes wellbeing","authors":"Rababe Saadaoui , Deirdre Pfeiffer , Eric A. Morris","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research shows that neighborhood social connectedness is important for wellbeing. However, these findings are mostly drawn from the Global North. We use the World Values Survey to examine the drivers of neighborhood social connectedness, and how connectedness shapes wellbeing, in a broader global context. Using multilevel modeling, we find that the drivers of trust in neighbors are consistent globally and that the links between trust in neighbors and wellbeing also hold across a variety of settings. This supports the generalizability of the socio-ecological model of wellbeing and suggests that interventions designed to foster neighborhood trust are broadly desirable.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100259"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fyzeen Ahmad , Adhvaith Sridhar , Steve Hoover , Carrie Henning-Smith
{"title":"Context matters: Geographic and age differences explain high heterogeneity in social isolation","authors":"Fyzeen Ahmad , Adhvaith Sridhar , Steve Hoover , Carrie Henning-Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many studies have examined social and health-related factors associated with social isolation. However, the degree to which contextual factors and social determinants such as geography, age, and race compare against health-related factors in explaining heterogeneity in population-level social isolation is not well understood. To address this gap, we analyzed data from the largest-known dataset on social isolation (<em>n</em> = 73,737) from adults in central Minnesota. Linear mixed effect modeling showed that ZIP code and age significantly explain variance in isolation levels among respondents, even after controlling for individual-level factors like health. Regions with lower median incomes or higher population densities were associated with increased levels of isolation. Disparities in levels of social isolation by race and sexual orientation were also present. We conclude that social contexts may modulate the way individuals interact with others and thus modulate the prevalence of social isolation. Therefore, interventions supporting social connections must be inclusive, intersectional, and malleable to the unique communities they are built for.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100257"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Urbanus Wedaaba Azupogo , Ebenezer Dassah , Elijah Bisung
{"title":"Navigating water and sanitation environments in schools: Exploring health risk perceptions of children with physical disabilities using drawing","authors":"Urbanus Wedaaba Azupogo , Ebenezer Dassah , Elijah Bisung","doi":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wss.2025.100255","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ensuring universal access to safe water and sanitation remains a central goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, persons with physical disabilities continue to encounter numerous barriers—stemming from capacity, environmental, and personal constraints—when accessing these facilities. This study aimed to (i) explore how children with physical disabilities navigated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) environments in primary schools in Ghana and (ii) investigate their perceived health risks associated with these environments. Children were given prompts to draw and write about their school WASH contexts, followed by interviews to discuss their drawings. A thematic analysis of their narratives and artwork revealed several barriers, including physically inaccessible facilities, poor maintenance, and limited peer support or mobility aids. Commonly reported health implications included dehydration from inadequate water intake, diarrhoea, increased vulnerability to abuse, and psychosocial stress. The findings further showed that the type and severity of disability influenced the extent of these challenges. To advance SDGs 6, 4, and 3, strategies must be implemented to create safe, inclusive school environments that address the diverse needs of all learners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52616,"journal":{"name":"Wellbeing Space and Society","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100255"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}