Quality of Life Benefits of Urban Rooftop Gardening for People With Intellectual Disabilities or Mental Health Disorders.

BACKGROUND: The number of urban community gardens, including those on rooftops, is increasing. However, few studies have explored the benefits of these gardens for people with intellectual disabilities or mental health disorders. We evaluated the association between urban rooftop gardening and quality of life of individuals with moderate to very marked disability. METHODS: We collected quality of life information with a preliminary version of the INTEGRAL Scale questionnaire from all gardeners (n = 54) and among a comparison group of nongardeners (n = 43). We also conducted semi-structured interviews with participants and technicians, and made field observations. RESULTS: Our results indicated that urban rooftop gardening was associated with better personal development and suggested enhanced physical and emotional well-being, sense of purpose, social inclusion, interpersonal relations (including new perspectives on the urban environment and the changes in social roles), and general quality of life. CONCLUSION: Our study extends the evidence on the potential benefits of urban rooftop gardening in general, and specifically for those with intellectual disabilities and mental health disorders.

Living Close to Natural Outdoor Environments in Four European Cities: Adults' Contact with the Environments and Physical Activity.

This study investigated whether residential availability of natural outdoor environments (NOE) was associated with contact with NOE, overall physical activity and physical activity in NOE, in four different European cities using objective measures. A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in Barcelona (Spain); Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom); Doetinchem (The Netherlands); and Kaunas (Lithuania). Smartphones were used to collect information on the location and physical activity (overall and NOE) of around 100 residents of each city over seven days. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine residential NOE availability (presence/absence of NOE within 300 m buffer from residence), contact with NOE (time spent in NOE), overall PA (total physical activity), NOE PA (total physical activity in NOE). Potential effect modifiers were investigated. Participants spent around 40 min in NOE and 80 min doing overall PA daily, of which 11% was in NOE. Having residential NOE availability was consistently linked with higher NOE contact during weekdays, but not to overall PA. Having residential NOE availability was related to NOE PA, especially for our Barcelona participants, people that lived in a city with low NOE availability.

Natural outdoor environments and mental health: Stress as a possible mechanism.

INTRODUCTION: Better mental health has been associated with exposure to natural outdoor environments (NOE). However, comprehensive studies including several indicators of exposure and outcomes, potential effect modifiers and mediators are scarce. OBJECTIVES: We used novel, objective measures to explore the relationships between exposure to NOE (i.e. residential availability and contact) and different indicators of mental health, and possible modifiers and mediators. METHODS: A nested cross-sectional study was conducted in: Barcelona, Spain; Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom; Doetinchem, Netherlands; Kaunas, Lithuania. Participants' exposure to NOE (including both surrounding greenness and green and/or blue spaces) was measured in terms of (a) amount in their residential environment (using Geographical Information Systems) and (b) their contact with NOE (using smartphone data collected over seven days). Self-reported information was collected for mental health (psychological wellbeing, sleep quality, vitality, and somatisation), and potential effect modifiers (gender, age, education level, and city) and mediators (perceived stress and social contacts), with additional objective NOE physical activity (potential mediator) derived from smartphone accelerometers. RESULTS: Analysis of data from 406 participants showed no statistically significant associations linking mental health and residential NOE exposure. However, NOE contact, especially surrounding greenness, was statistically significantly tied to better mental health. There were indications that these relationships were stronger for males, younger people, low-medium educated, and Doetinchem residents. Perceived stress was a mediator of most associations, and physical activity and social contacts were not. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that contact with NOE benefits mental health. Our results also suggest that having contact with NOE that can facilitate stress reduction could be particularly beneficial.

Anogenital distance and the risk of prostate cancer.

UNLABELLED: Study Type - Prognosis (cohort) Level of Evidence 2b What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? In animals, anogenital distance has been shown to be related to the action of fetal androgens, and exposure to chemicals such as dioxins that exhibit antiandrogenic activity results in shorter distances in male rats. In studies conducted in children, anogenital distance has been associated with endocrine disruptors such as phthalates. Studies conducted in young adults found that a shorter anoscrotal distance was a predictor of low sperm concentration, and a longer anoscrotal distance was associated with fatherhood, a higher sperm density and a higher total motile sperm count. The present study is the first to report anogenital measurements in adults in relation to the risk of cancer, showing that a phenotype reflecting normal in utero sexual development in males is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. There are two published studies evaluating sperm quality and fatherhood suggesting a connecting mechanism related to the disruption of androgen-mediated pathways in utero that affects reproductive potential and the risk of prostate cancer. OBJECTIVES: • To measure anogenital distance in patients with prostate cancer and control subjects without cancer. • To evaluate the association of anogenital distance with prostate cancer in a case-control study in Spain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: • Anogenital distances from anus to upper penis (AGDAP ) and from anus to scrotum (AGDAS ) were measured in 60 patients with prostate cancer in two hospitals in Barcelona and in 52 urological controls. • Each measurement was performed three times by the same trained examiner using a digital caliper RESULTS: • Patients had an ≈5 mm shorter AGDAP than controls, whereas no difference was observed for AGDAS . • A higher AGDAP was associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer, with an adjusted odds ratio per 5 mm increase in AGDAP of 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.99, P= 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: • The present study is the first to report anogenital measurements in adults in relation to the risk of cancer. • The present study showed that a phenotype reflecting normal in utero sexual development in men is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer. • There are two published studies (Mendiola et al. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119: 958-63; Eisenberg et al. PLoS One 2011; 6: e18973) evaluating sperm quality and fatherhood suggesting a connecting mechanism related to the disruption of androgen-mediated pathways in utero that affects reproductive potential and the risk of prostate cancer.