Study Says Getting Kids Out In Nature Boosts Lung Health

Living next to nature may improve the function of little lungs.

Researchers studying kids’ exposure to green space found that those who had vegetation near their homes in the first 10 years of life performed better on a test of lung function than those who did not live near nature.

“Our research suggests the greener, the better,” said Diogo Queiroz Almeida, who studies genetic, behavioral and environmental determinants of health at the University of Porto in Portugal. “These improvements are modest at around 2%. However, if we look at the whole population, making our neighborhoods greener could have a considerable impact.”

For the study, researchers measured the lung function of nearly 3,300 Portuguese children, using a device that measures the maximum amount of air a person can exhale after taking in the deepest possible breath. The test can indicate how well the lungs are working and help diagnose conditions like asthma.

Researchers also used satellite data and maps to gauge the extent of vegetation close to their homes — for example, the distance to their nearest park, garden or public green space. They looked at that data from the time they were born, as well as when children were 4, 7 and 10 years of age.

Kids whose surroundings became greener between birth and their 10th birthday, either because they had moved or there were changes in their neighborhoods, tended to have better lung function, the study found.

The findings were published July 27 in the European Respiratory Journal.