Expert insight: Did neighbourhood amenities impact youth mental health in the pandemic?

Youth in suburban neighbourhoods were more likely to report changes to their mental health and stress levels By Alexander Wray, Gina Martin, Jamie Seabrook, Jason Gilliland, Kendra Nelson Ferguson, Stephanie Coen, Special to Western News, By Alexander Wray, Gina Martin, Jamie Seabrook, Jason Gilliland, Kendra Nelson Ferguson, Stephanie Coen, Special to Western News, During the COVID-19 pandemic, youth as a population group reported some of the largest declines in their mental health compared to other age groups in Canada. Research on youth mental health during the pandemic has focused on poor academic engagement , loss of peer networks , missed milestone events and challenging summer employment experiences. Yet little is known about how the places where young people lived played a role in changes to their mental health during the pandemic. From walking in a park to ordering takeout food, there was not much to do out in public during the early months of the pandemic. Youth were attending school remotely and no longer participating in organized sports and indoor recreation. For many, that meant their daily activities outside the home often consisted of what could be reached within walking distance of where they lived. Parks and food-related retail became the main places for physically distanced social interactions.