The moderating influence of safety on green space's health benefits in Chinese urban communities

Abstract

Green spaces are known to promote physical and mental health, but their benefits may be undermined by poor community safety. Few studies have explored how crime victimization or perceived safety influence the health benefits of different green spaces, particularly in rapidly urbanizing developing countries. Using multi-year data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) comprising 24,834 observations across 242 urban communities, this study examines whether community safety moderates the health benefits of green spaces in urban China. Green space types and characteristics were assessed through the presence of park/square and green coverage ratio, while health was proxied by self-rated health (SRH). Community safety was measured by residents’ crime victimization experiences and perceived community safety. Results from hierarchical linear model revealed positive associations between both green coverage ratio and community safety with SRH. Crime victimization diminishes the health benefits of park/square, whilst low perceived safety hinders the health benefits of green coverage. These findings highlight the importance of considering both green space types and objective/perceived community safety to promote the health benefits of urban green spaces.