Niloofar Shoari (one of our 2023 Data Impact Fellows) investigates the connections between neighbourhood environments and children’s mental health in the UK.
Her research reveals how air pollution, greenspace access, and socio-economic factors create a complex web of influences that shape young minds during critical developmental periods.
In the UK, nearly one in five children and adolescents are struggling with a probable mental health disorder (NHS Digital, 2023).
While we’ve long understood the detrimental effects of polluted air and lack of greenspace on physical health, we’re only starting to grasp their impact on the mind. Could neighbourhoods play a bigger role in shaping children’s mental health than we once thought?
That’s the question I set out to explore in my latest research, and the findings are eye-opening.
Research has often focused on how where we live influences physical health, but I wanted to investigate whether it also affects mental health.
My research examines how air pollution, greenspace, and socioeconomic status of neighbourhoods interact with children and adolescents’ mental health. Also, I wondered if there were certain ages when these factors have a stronger effect on mental health?
What we studied
To investigate this, I used data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), which tracks children born in the early 2000s across the UK. I focused on 3,595 children in England, linking their mental health outcomes to their neighbourhood environmental and socioeconomic characteristics.
Mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a widely used tool for identifying emotional and behavioural difficulties. Then we included key neighbourhood characteristics, including:
- Air pollution exposure: PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 concentrations
- Greenspace: General greenness and functional spaces like public parks and playing fields
- Neighbourhood socioeconomic status: Measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation
What we found
Early childhood is a critical period
Children exposed to higher air pollution levels at age 3 had higher SDQ scores, indicating more emotional and behavioural difficulties. However, as children grew older, this association weakened.
It seems that early childhood is a particularly sensitive window where pollution can leave lasting effects on both the body and mind.
The role of greenspace is complex
At first glance, greener neighbourhoods were linked to better mental health. However, once we accounted for air pollution and socioeconomic status, this relationship weakened.
This suggests that while green space may be beneficial, other environmental and social factors might have a stronger impact on mental health.
Neighbourhood socioeconomic status matters – a lot
Children living in wealthier neighbourhoods had lower SDQ score, indicating better mental health, compared to their peers in more deprived areas. Interestingly, this difference became more pronounced in adolescence.
Why?
Maybe adolescence is a crucial period for identity formation, where socioeconomic disparities become more apparent and impactful.
Why it matters
Children’s mental health is shaped by a complex web of neighbourhood factors.
Breathing in polluted air, specially during early childhood, can negatively affect mental health. But one exposure does not tell the whole story.
Socioeconomic status is a dominant force, influencing mental health trajectories from early childhood through adolescence. Greenspace alone isn’t a silver bullet, and its benefits may depend on other environmental and social conditions.
This isn’t just an academic exercise, but it’s a wake-up call.
If we want to improve children’s mental health, we need to address living conditions at home, schools and in neighbourhoods. Reducing air pollution, especially around nurseries and primary schools, could be an effective starting point.
We need better research on how children use greenspaces to maximize their mental health benefits. Tackling socioeconomic inequalities is crucial—because that’s where the real, lasting change happens.
What’s next
This is just the beginning.
Next, I want to explore how environmental exposures at schools affect mental health, given that children spend most of their day there? Does moving to a healthier neighbourhood improve mental health?
Our surroundings shape us in ways we’re only beginning to understand. It’s time we start paying closer attention.
Read more
Our full study is now published and available (doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.4470). This work was co-authored by Marta Blangiardo, and Monica Pirani at the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College London.
About the author
Niloofar is a Senior Research Fellow at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London.
Her work sits at the intersection of environmental science and public health, with a particular focus on applying Bayesian methods to large-scale data. She currently uses administrative datasets to explore how the built environment shapes the mental health of children and young people. Previously, she was an MRC Early Career Research Fellow at the Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, where she examined the influence of neighbourhood factors on health and educational outcomes in school-aged children.
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