Seasonal Variation in the Role of Greenspace in Child Development

Background Children’s greenspace use may differ widely according to season, yet the role of greenspace in children’s outcomes across different seasons remains largely untested in large general-population studies. This study investigated whether season moderated associations between a neighbourhood’s greenspace quantity and children’s emotional, behavioural and cognitive outcomes. Methods Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample, we examined whether ward-level greenspace quantity was associated with cognitive ability and parent-reported internalising and externalising difficulties (measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) in 12,822 children at age 7, and the moderating role of season (data collection in summer vs. rest of the year). Results After adjustment, including for the corresponding prior outcome at age 5, higher greenspace quantity was associated with greater internalising difficulties for children in summer compared to the rest of the year. For externalising difficulties, a three-way interaction pattern emerged: during summer, externalising difficulties increased with greenspace among boys but decreased slightly among girls, while associations were relatively flat outside summer. All associations were small. No assosciations were observed for cognitive ability after adjustment. Conclusion These findings suggest that the associations of greenspace with children’s behavioural and emotional outcomes (i.e., externalising and internalising difficulties) may be season-dependent, and in some instances sex-specific. Future research should explicitly consider seasonal and other short-term temporal contexts to better understand the role of greenspace in child development.