Researchers in Scotland have concluded that areas without parks and green space have an increased risk of death and illness.
Their study, in The Lancet, matched data about hundreds of thousands of deaths to green spaces in local areas.
Councils should introduce more greenery to improve wellbeing, they said.
Across the country, there are 'health inequalities' related to income and social deprivation, which generally reflect differences in lifestyle, diet, and, to some extent, access to medical care.
This means that in general, people living in poorer areas are more likely to be unhealthy, and die earlier.
However, the researchers found that living near parks, woodland or other open spaces helped reduce these inequalities, regardless of social class."
FULL STORY: Green spaces 'reduce health gap'

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