Social distancing measures instituted by governments around the world include the closure or restricted use of many outdoor venues. Negative impacts of such measures for many children include decreased physical activity and play opportunities. Such negative impacts tend to be especially harmful for children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

COVID-related restrictions have negatively impacted the mental health of children and youth

Factors negatively impacting the mental health of children and youth during COVID include a reduction in social support and increased exposure to unhealthy home situations, especially evident in the most deprived families. Identified sources of support for children and families included being outdoors in nature.
Cowie & Myers, 2020. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of children and young people.  
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The negative impact of COVID-related stressors on children and adolescents calls for a robust public health response

For many children, COVID restriction meant an abrupt withdrawal from outdoor activities and a switch from the “play-outside mode” to the “play-indoor mode” and more screen time. Biological, environmental, and social factors associated with COVID and related restrictions are widening and exposing health inequalities experienced by many children and adolescents.
de Figueiredo et al. 2021. COVID-19 pandemic impact on children and adolescents’ mental health: Biological, environmental, and social factors.  

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Greater COVID restrictions are associated with greater declines in children’s outdoor play

Canadian responses to COVID include policies both facilitating and restricting access to outdoor spaces. Unsurprisingly, provinces that had the highest number of COVID cases enacted the most stringent restrictions on access to the outdoors; provinces with the most stringent restrictions had the greatest decline in time spent outdoors and in outdoor play among children and youth.
Lannoy et al. 2020. Regional differences in access to the outdoors and outdoor play of Canadian children and youth during the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Certain environmental features are associated with children’s physical activity during COVID

Physical activity levels increased for some Canadian children during the pandemic; for others, it decreased. For some children, school grounds and playground closures may have contributed to decreased physical activity.
Mitra et al. 2020. Healthy movement behaviors in children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the role of the neighborhood environment.
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Unhealthy consequences of COVID-19 include a decrease in children’s movement and play behaviors

With the onset of pandemic restrictions, leisure screen-based activities increased and physical activities decreased for Canadian children. The most dramatic decline was with outdoor physical activity and sport.
Moore et al. 2020.  Impact of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on movement and play behaviors of Canadian children and youth: A national survey. 
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Children’s physical activity levels during confinement are linked to their living conditions

While not the only variable influencing Portuguese children’s physical activity during COVID, having a big outdoor space was the largest factor, especially for children age three to nine.
Pombo et al. 2020. Correlates of children’s physical activity during the COVID-19 confinement in Portugal.
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Disparities in access to greenspace become a greater concern when social distancing is required

An investigation into access to public greenspace in England and Wales during COVID-19 found that, while some high-density neighborhoods had more parks, access was limited due to overcrowding concerns.
Shoari et al. 2020. Accessibility and allocation of public parks and gardens in England and Wales: A COVID-19 social distancing perspective.
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Socioeconomic factors influenced the frequency of green space visits before and during COVID

Researchers in Japan collected information about visits to green areas before and during the pandemic. Household income played the largest role in frequency, but land use patterns also made a difference. Parks were visited by relatively younger respondents who lived in urban areas, while agricultural lands and gardens were visited by the older respondents who lived in rural areas or areas in between.
Uchiyama & Kohsaka, 2020. Access and use of green areas during the COVID-19 pandemic: Green infrastructure management in the “new normal”. 
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Exposure to indoor and outdoor greenery provides mental health benefits to children, youth, and adults during prolonged confinement. Connectedness to nature may also play a role in individual reactions to a pandemic. More urban greenery may even help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Homebound young adults had better mental health during COVID-19 if greenery was present

Bulgarian university students who spent an average of 20 hours per day at home during COVID reported better mental health if they had houseplants, access to a garden, or a view of greenery from their window.
Dzhambov et al. 2020. Does greenery experienced indoors and outdoors provide an escape and support mental health during the COVID-19 quarantine?
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Connectedness to nature may shape individual reactions to a pandemic crisis

Adults in the United States with higher nature connectedness held views about COVID and responded behaviorally to the pandemic differently than adults without high nature connectedness, including greater compliance with pandemic precautions and an appreciation of how movement restrictions benefited the environment.
Hassova et al. 2020. Connectedness with nature and individual responses to a pandemic: An exploratory study.
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The COVID experience could change the way urban public space is valued and used

An understanding about the health-promoting benefits of greenspace and the inequities in accessing such environments framed a discussion about post-COVID urban planning. Emerging questions, such as “Will post-COVID planners succeed in transforming streets to become healthier, safer, greener and more livable?” address issues relating to design, perceptions, and inequities.
Honey-Rosés et al. 2020. The impact of COVID-19 on public space: An early review of the emerging questions – design, perceptions and inequities.
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Post-COVID world planning requires attention to the nature-related needs of children

An international team of scholars, after studying the spatial, social and physical effects of the pandemic on children, concluded that addressing inequities in access to greenspace must be a priority.
Kyriazis et al. 2020. Physical distancing, children and urban health: The COVID-19 crisis’ impact on children and how this could affect future urban planning and design policies.
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Plants at home positively influenced the emotional well-being of adults during COVID 

The majority of adults responding to an online survey distributed worldwide agreed that having plants at home positively contributed to their mood during the COVID-19 confinement period.
Perez-Urrestarazu et al. 2020. Particularities of having plants at home during the confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
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Nature helped people from different countries cope with lockdown during COVID-19

An international study found that a greater severity of lockdown during COVID was associated with  greater odds of depression and anxiety, but that contact with nature reduced the odds.
Pouso et al. 2021. Contact with blue-green spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown beneficial for mental health.
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Disadvantaged neighborhoods had fewer health-promoting features before COVID and fewer positive changes during COVID

Results of a national US survey indicate that people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods bear an increasingly disproportionate burden of pandemic-related issues relating to physical activity and mental health.
Yang & Xiang, 2021. Examine the associations between perceived neighborhood conditions, physical activity, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
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Urban vegetation plays a role in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the United States

An investigation into the spread of COVID in the US identified population density as the most likely factor in directly regulating the transmission. Urban vegetation, however, weakened the association.
You & Pan, 2020. Urban vegetation slows down the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the United States.
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