NAture impact on MEntal health Distribution

In Belgium, the Health Interview Survey (HIS) underlined a degradation of the psycho-emotional health of the population: the proportion of respondents presenting psychological difficulties rose from 25% to 32% between 2008 and 2013. Types of manifestations are diverse and include anxiety, depressive disorder or sleep disorder. Strikingly, they are more prevalent in the Brussels-Capital Region (40%) than in Wallonia (35%) and Flanders (29%).

In Belgium, only limited research is available: one study investigated the link between self-rated health of elders and built environment based on perceived and Geographical Information System measures, and one study touched on the relationship between the availability of green spaces and well-being. Further research on environmental characteristics effectively beneficial for mental health, on pathways involved, and on the impact of social, economic and cultural factors is urgently warranted.

The NAMED project will perform more detailed and in-depth research, combining information from existing databases and additional research specifically developed for this project.