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Abstract
As urbanisation escalates globally, urban neighbourhood features which may improve
physical and mental health are of growing importance. Using a cross-sectional survey
of adults and the application of novel geospatial techniques, this study investigated
whether increased visibility of nature (green and blue space) was associated with
lower psychological distress (K10 scores), in the capital city of Wellington, New
Zealand. To validate, we also tested whether visibility of blue space was associated
missing teeth in the same sample. Cluster robust, linear regression models were fitted
to test the association between visibility of nature and K10 scores, adjusted for
age, sex, personal income, neighbourhood population density, housing quality, crime
and deprivation. Higher levels of blue space visibility were associated with lower
psychological distress (β=-0.28, p<0.001). Importantly, blue space visibility was
not significantly associated with tooth loss. Further research is needed to confirm
whether increased visibility of blue space could promote mental well-being and reduce
distress in other cities.