Want your child to remain stress free? If yes, try relocating to a better neighbourhood as a new study has found less stress hormone in children with access to green spaces, clean air.
The findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, showed that the average cortisol level — a biological marker of the body’s stress response — among 113 of low-income children who lived in poor neighbourhoods reached the 75th percentile. But when they looked at cortisol levels in 32 low-income children living in better-quality neighbourhoods, the average was in the 45th percentile.
“The quality of neighbourhoods was assessed by a measure that evaluates access to green spaces, exposure to environmental toxins, and availability of early childhood education centers and grocery stores selling healthy food,” said Danielle Roubinov, Assistant Professor from the University of California.