Urban greenspace and mental health in Chinese older adults: Associations across different greenspace measures and mediating effects of environmental perceptions

This study aimed to contrast the associations of street view-, land use- and satellite-derived greenspace measures with older adults' mental health and to examine the mediating effects of neighborhood environmental perceptions (i.e., noise, aesthetics and satisfaction with recreational opportunities) to explain potential heterogeneity in the associations. Data of 879 respondents aged 60 or older in Dalian, China were used, and multilevel regression models were conducted in Stata. Results indicated that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), vegetation coverage, park coverage and streetscape grasses were positively correlated with older adults' mental health. The associations of exposure metrics measured by overhead view were stronger than those measured by the street view. Streetscape grasses had a stronger association with older adults' mental health than streetscape trees. Noise, aesthetics and satisfaction with recreational opportunities mediated these associations, but the strength of the mediating effects differed across the greenspace measures. Our findings confirm the necessity of multi-measures assessment for greenspace to examine associations with older adults' mental health in Chinese settings and can contribute to the realization of health benefits of urban greenspace.