Green space at school and attention in primary school children in Belgium: A stratified matched case-control study
Green spaces help to adapt urban environments to warming and other global change challenges. At school, green playgrounds help to incorporate natural elements into the daily lives of children, potentially improving well-being and academic performance. This study analyzed relationships between green space within and around the school, the landscape context, and well-being and sustained attention in 526 fifth-grade children (10–11 years old) in 37 Belgian schools, using a matched case-control design. By design, school level greenness did not vary with school level socioeconomic status. Attention was measured with the d2 sustained-attention test and well-being with the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire. Results of generalized multilevel models fitted within a Bayesian framework showed that attention was higher in schools located in more urbanized environments and that attention primarily increased with socioeconomic status. In models that accounted for partial missing data, attention was higher and attention waning lower in schools with green playgrounds, but only in low naturalness landscapes, and these associations were most prominent in high SES schools. Overall, our study suggests that green space within the school may partially compensate limited exposure to green space in highly urbanized environments, with beneficial effects on attention and well-being. Greening existing school playgrounds is expected to benefit child development in urbanized environments while simultaneously improving urban green space cover, with health benefits that extend beyond the school boundaries.
Details
| Aantal pagina's | 1 |
|---|---|
| Volume | 105 |
| Pagina's (van-tot) | 128680 |
| Type | A1: Web of Science-artikel |
| Categorie | Onderzoek |
| Tijdschrift | Urban forestry and urban greening |
| Issns | 1618-8667 |
| Uitgeverij | Urban and Fischer |
| Taal | Engels |
Bibtex
@misc{41b5d311-d4b3-42de-bdac-aff3af06017e,
title = "Green space at school and attention in primary school children in Belgium: A stratified matched case-control study",
abstract = "Green spaces help to adapt urban environments to warming and other global change challenges. At school, green playgrounds help to incorporate natural elements into the daily lives of children, potentially improving well-being and academic performance. This study analyzed relationships between green space within and around the school, the landscape context, and well-being and sustained attention in 526 fifth-grade children (10–11 years old) in 37 Belgian schools, using a matched case-control design. By design, school level greenness did not vary with school level socioeconomic status. Attention was measured with the d2 sustained-attention test and well-being with the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire. Results of generalized multilevel models fitted within a Bayesian framework showed that attention was higher in schools located in more urbanized environments and that attention primarily increased with socioeconomic status. In models that accounted for partial missing data, attention was higher and attention waning lower in schools with green playgrounds, but only in low naturalness landscapes, and these associations were most prominent in high SES schools. Overall, our study suggests that green space within the school may partially compensate limited exposure to green space in highly urbanized environments, with beneficial effects on attention and well-being. Greening existing school playgrounds is expected to benefit child development in urbanized environments while simultaneously improving urban green space cover, with health benefits that extend beyond the school boundaries.",
author = "Raf Aerts and Hans Van Calster and Melike Ozen and Rafiqa Benchrih and Sophie Heyman and Edith Swerts and Arlien Wuyts and Liesa Lammens and Els Lommelen and Michael Leone and Saskia Wanner and Harmony Brulein and Antoine Groslambert and Linda Vanmeersche and Marie Legein and Wenke Smets and Irina Spacova and Eva M. De Clercq and Sarah Lebeer and Anna Leonard and Sophie O. Vanwambeke and Hans Keune",
year = "2025",
month = jan,
day = "18",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2025.128680",
language = "Nederlands",
publisher = "Urban and Fischer",
address = "België,
type = "Other"
}
Auteurs
Raf AertsHans Van Calster
Melike Ozen
Rafiqa Benchrih
Sophie Heyman
Edith Swerts
Arlien Wuyts
Liesa Lammens
Els Lommelen
Michael Leone
Saskia Wanner
Harmony Brulein
Antoine Groslambert
Linda Vanmeersche
Marie Legein
Wenke Smets
Irina Spacova
Eva M. De Clercq
Sarah Lebeer
Anna Leonard
Sophie O. Vanwambeke
Hans Keune
