How urban heat and shade affect teen mental health
Temperature, shade, and adolescent psychopathology: understanding how place shapes health
This project looks at whether neighborhood temperature, shade, and green space shape mental health in high-school teenagers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11380471 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
I’m part of a large group of 3,396 students who were recruited in 9th grade in Los Angeles in 2013 and followed up eight times with very little loss of participants. Researchers map fine-scale differences in temperature, shade, and green areas across the city and link those local exposures to mood and behavior symptoms over time. The team examines both internalizing symptoms (like anxiety and depression) and externalizing behaviors, while taking into account differences in race, income, and neighborhood. The goal is to understand whether where you live in the city helps explain changes in teen mental health.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are urban adolescents in high school—especially teens living in Los Angeles neighborhoods with different levels of shade and green space.
Not a fit: Adults, rural residents, or people whose mental health issues are unrelated to temperature or neighborhood design are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help cities and schools design shade and green-space interventions that reduce heat exposure and support adolescent mental health.
How similar studies have performed: Historical and biological links between heat and mood exist, but there are few modern, large longitudinal studies of temperature, shade, and adolescent mental health, making this approach relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Columbia University Health Sciences — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Keyes, Katherine M. — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Keyes, Katherine M.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.