The Effect of Urban Green Spaces Within Highly Populated Urban Areas on the Prevalence of Obesity and Depression

The growing prevalence of both obesity and depression comes with a substantial economic cost to those affected by these health problems as well as to the healthcare industry that is treating them. Prior literature has demonstrated that there are negative relationships between greenspace and prevalence of both obesity and depression due to the increased access to designated space for physical activity and social interaction, however there has been little work done on the impact of these greenspaces in urban areas. This investigation aimed to measure the effect of the percentage of a city that is greenspace on the rate of obesity and depression from 2021-2023 in 81 of the most populated cities in the United States. Panel data was gathered from several national databases including the Trust for Public Land and CDC PLACES. Using an OLS regression model, the results indicate significant negative relationships between urban greenspace and the prevalence of both obesity and depression. These results align with previous research. Other variables that have significant effects on the prevalence of obesity and depression are household income, unemployment rate, and poverty levels. Policymakers can use this data to inform urban development and implement more urban greenspace within cities to improve the health of urban communities.