How Greenspaces are Used, and Not How Much is Available, is a Critical Pathway Connecting Greenspaces to Resilience Against COVID-19 Infection and Severity

There is growing evidence of the benefits of greenspaces to humans in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the mechanisms of these benefits remain elusive. Here, we aimed to fill this gap by collecting relevant data on ~1400 residents across South Africa, and then fitted structural equation models. We found that infection rates and severity are significantly lower among people who use greenspaces for physical activity, suggesting that the level of greenness exposure is an important pathway connecting greenness to human resilience. We also found that age, education levels and people’s perceptions of greenspaces rather than greenspaces provision predict greenness exposure. Finally, we found that wealthy people are more likely to be infected and hospitalized alongside people with comorbidity whilst younger and educated people are more likely to be admitted to ICU. Overall, our study identifies the pathways linking greenspaces to human resilience against COVID-19.

在新冠疫情（COVID-19 pandemic）大流行背景下，越来越多的研究证据表明，绿地空间（greenspaces）对人类健康具有益处。然而，这些益处背后的作用机制仍尚不明确。本研究通过收集南非境内约1400名居民的相关数据并构建结构方程模型（structural equation models），旨在填补这一研究空白。研究结果显示，借助绿地空间开展体育活动的人群，其新冠感染率与病情严重程度均显著更低，这表明绿地接触水平是连接绿地空间与人体抗逆力的重要作用路径。此外我们还发现，能够预测绿地接触水平的因素并非绿地空间的供给情况，而是居民的年龄、受教育程度以及对绿地空间的认知。最后我们发现，合并症患者与高收入人群更易感染新冠并住院治疗，而年轻群体及受教育程度较高人群则更易被收治进入重症监护病房（ICU）。综上，本研究明确了绿地空间与人体针对新冠疫情的抗逆力之间的作用路径。