Effects Of Different Urban Green Spaces On Elderly Psychophysiological Health Based On EEG

With the aging of the population,urgent attention needs to be paid on elderly psychophysiological health.Although different urban spaces has tremendous effects on human health promotion,effects of different urban spaces on the elderly were seldom studied.To assess the psychophysiological effects of different urban green space on elderly,this study,first chose three types of urban space on micro scale: park,greenway,urban space.Then,33 elderly(average age:68.73±3.37)were recruited.Subjects were instructed to perform Tai Chi in the park,greenway,and urban space respectively,during which eight brain waves were monitored with portable EEG,and then the heart rate(HR),blood pressure(BP)were measured,and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI)was filled to examine the psychophysiological responses.Additionally,this study collected another 213 valid inventories after the elderly viewing different spaces,and Structural Equation Model(SEM)was constructed to further explore potential mechanisms influencing the stress in elderly.This study showed that the Theta,L-alpha,H-alpha,Low-gamma brain waves during the activities in the greenway and L-alpha,Low-gamma,and Mid-gamma in the park space were significantly higher than that in the matrix space,but the paired t-test did not find significant differences in activities between the greenway and park spaces.Brainwaves per minute slightly fluctuated among the three spaces,but no significance was detected.Further analysis showed that the H-Beta / H-Alpha ratio of the subjects in the greenway was significantly lower than that in the park,and L-beta/L-alpha in both the greenway and matrix were significantly lower than that in the matrix(P<0.05).Although HR of the activities displayed no significant differences among three space(p>0.05),systolic BP of subjects in the greenway and park space was significantly lower than that in the matrix space(P<0.05).Diastolic BP of subjects in the park space was significantly lower than that in the matrix space(p=0.041).The BP of the subjects in the park space was significantly lower than that in the matrix space(P<0.05).Scores of STAI in the park and greenway were significantly lower than that in the matrix space(P<0.01).Above all,the results showed that the stress and anxiety levels of subjects in the greenway and matrix space were significantly alleviated than those in the urban environment,among which the greenway space was the most effective.Additionally,SEM model showed that aesthetic values surpassed functional values in alleviating elderly stress in the park and matrix model,which implied that aesthetic values should be valued during park and matrix planning and designing,however,functional values transcended aesthetic values in elderly stress relieving in the greenway model,which implied that ancillary facilities should be valued in greenway planning and designing..The purpose of this study is to apply the principles of urban ecology,landscape ecology,and sustainable development in analyzing the effects of different urban space on the elderly health in China,and explore the interaction between landscape pattern and ecological function,and the maintenance of ecological security pattern,to provide evidence-based references for landscape design,ecological planning,and elderly settlement construction.