Study Reveals Greener Surrounding Increases Bone Density In Children

A person’s childhood plays an important role in their development in all aspects like emotional growth, mental abilities and even physicality. It is quite important to give a nurturing environment to the child for its well-being. These things are the building blocks of one’s personality. Recently, research has been conducted in Belgium where it was revealed that children who grow up in a greener environment are likely to develop more bone density as compared to those who live in more urban settings.

This study has found a direct relationship between the places around residential areas and the density of bone minerals. It was found that bone density is quite important for children as it prevents them from breaking in the future. The study was conducted as part of the Environment Influence on Ageing in Early Life (ENVIRONAGE) birth cohort in Belgium.

In the study, around 327 children aged between 4 and 6 years were included for a bone density check. The study used different methods to check bone density like ultrasonography. It found that there is a deep relationship between the greenery around the residential buildings and the density of minerals in the bones. Due to less greenery around, the risk of reducing the density of minerals in bones also went down in children.

Ir also revealed that the density of bone minerals increases with the age and height of children. But factors like gender, weight, screen size, race, how many vitamins are consumed, how much dairy products are consumed, the level of education of the mother and the income of the people do not have much effect on the children.

The study found that if there is just 25 per cent greenery around the residential area of a child, then it is likely that their bone density will fall by 66 per cent.

It is quite commonly believed that stronger bones mean that a person has more physical abilities later in life. This is a clear suggestion to builders and real estate developers to take proper care to create a greener environment while making a residential plan.