Le ricerche ci mostrano come il contatto con l’ambiente naturale ci aiuta ad affrontare e a superare lo stress, le malattie e gli infortuni, ci permette di avere una visione positiva della vita, una maggiore soddisfazione nella vita quotidiana e può migliorare la concentrazione e la produttività.

Le terapie basate sul contatto con la natura possono curare i pazienti nei casi in cui altri tipi di trattamenti falliscono, dando risultati eccellenti. I parchi e gli altri ambienti naturali sono parte integrante per la prevenzione delle malattie.

(Slide tratte dalla presentazione della Dott.ssa Laura Mancini dell’ISS; Azione centrale CCM “Ambiente, Clima e Protezione della Salute dei Bambini” NèB: Natura è Benessere

Workshop  Roma 16 luglio 2018- SPAZI VERDI E BLU: UN CONTRIBUTO AL BENESSERE.- Reparto Ecosistemi e Salute)

All’interno del rapporto “Health benefits to children from contact with the outdoors & nature”, troviamo una raccolta ragionata di pubblicazioni scientifiche, articoli e altro, utile per approfondire e migliorare le conoscenze sui benefici per la salute dei bambini dal contatto con la natura. Quella contenuta nel documento è una selezione del materiale preparato dal Children & Nature Network (C&NN), negli USA, ad uso di tutti i soggetti che partecipano a questa campagna internazionale e per questo è redatta in inglese e contiene indicazioni di quanto è stato fatto principalmente nella nazione in cui la campagna stessa è iniziata.

Il documento affronta argomenti che sottolineano, oltre al miglioramento del benessere fisico e mentale, i numerosi benefici per la salute dei bambini che vivono più a contatto con la natura.

Filo conduttore della bibliografia è lo “stato dell’arte” relativo ai temi della campagna: numerosi articoli esplorano la dimensione del rapporto tra natura e benessere, dimostrando che la vita all’aperto ha un valore straordinario nello sviluppo della personalità e negli equilibri psico-fisici, soprattutto dei bambini e viene inoltre evidenziato il ruolo del gioco all’aperto per il loro lo sviluppo fisico e cognitivo.

Durante il Congresso Mondiale della IUCN, tenutosi a Jeju, Corea del Sud, a settembre 2012, è stato presentato come documento congiunto di IUCN-CEC e Children & Nature Network.

Physical activity and exposure to nature are important to good health

In this literature review, Pretty and colleagues examine the role of physical activity and nature contact on health and well-being, with a particular focus on children. The authors discuss the current state of physical inactivity, the positive health benefits of nature contact, and the potential role of green exercise (activity in the presence of nature) toward improving health and well-being. Pretty and colleagues review three stages of childhood and their differing needs, evidence regarding children’s physical activity levels, and the benefits of children’s exposure to nature. The authors discuss the impact of urban design and green space in terms of physical activity and various health outcomes, including cognitive health and learning, as well as the impact of nature-based interventions, such as care farms and wilderness therapy, for children with special needs. Based on their review, Pretty and colleagues propose two conceptual pathways—healthy and unhealthy—that shape our lives and life outcomes. On the healthy pathway, people are active, connected to people and society, engage with natural places, and eat healthy foods and as a result tend to live longer and have a better quality of life. On the unhealthy pathway, people are inactive, disconnected to people and society, do not engage with natural places, and eat unhealthy foods, and as a result die earlier and have a lower quality of life. In concluding their review, Pretty and colleagues make ten recommendations to improve people’s well-being, including increasing children’s outdoor free play and encouraging planners to incorporate access to green space.

Author Affiliation: Jules Pretty is with the University of Essex in the UK.

Pretty, J., Angus, C., Bain, M., Barton, J., Gladwell, V., Hine, R., et al. (2009). Nature, childhood, health and life pathways: University of Essex.

http://www .essex.ac.uk/ces/occasionalpapers/Nature Childhood and Health iCES Occ  Paper 2009-2 FINAL.pdf

Being outdoors is important to our health

Godbey examines the health benefits of being outdoors, including the role these activities play in stress reduction. He also examines outdoor recreation as it relates to specific children’s health issues, including obesity and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and how spending time outdoors can benefit children with these health challenges. Godbey investigates children’s connection with nature and the many variables that impact children’s outdoor play. He discusses different approaches to measuring physical activity and participation in outdoor recreation, as well as recent trends in park visitation and outdoor activity participation. He also highlights numerous factors that impact participation in outdoor activities, including amount of leisure time, proximity to outdoor space, safety of parks, and park and playground design. Throughout the review, Godbey highlights specific research gaps that could help guide future efforts. He also discusses changing demographics as they relate to outdoor recreation and what these changes may mean in terms of successful policymaking.

Author Affiliation: Geoffrey Godbey is with Resources for the Future.

Godbey, G. (2009). Outdoor Recreation, Health, and Wellness: Understanding and Enhancing the Relationship. Washington DC: Resources for the Future.

http://www.rff.org/documents/RFF-DP-09-21.pdf

Wilderness programs improve participants‟ health, behavior, and attitudes

The connection between natural landscapes and human health provides an important avenue to support land conservation and human health. In this review, Hine and colleagues examine 70 studies related to the benefits of wilderness and nature-based experiences. Hine and colleagues describe numerous characteristics of these studies, including their methodological type (e.g., qualitative or quantitative), outcomes measured, location of the programs they evaluated, types of experiences (e.g., therapeutic intervention or general experience), and age and gender of participants. In examining study results, the authors found that wilderness and nature-based experiences resulted in a range of benefits including: physical and mental health benefits (e.g., reduced body fat, reduced anxiety and stress, and improved self-esteem); positive changes in behavior; enhanced connectedness to nature; and improved knowledge and skills acquisition. Hine and colleagues discuss limitations to the reviewed studies, including the lack of quantitative and longitudinal studies, small sample sizes, and the lack of control groups. The authors highlight the need for additional research to address current limitations and provide specific research recommendations.

Author Affiliation: Rachel Hine is with the University of Essex in the UK.

Hine, R., Pretty, J., & Barton, J. (2009). Research project: Social, psychological and cultural benefits of large natural habitat & wilderness experience: University of Essex.

http://www.essex.ac.uk/ces/occasionalpapers/Kerry/Literature Review for WF.pdf

Children’s play in natural settings provides a suite of benefits

In this report, Stuart Lester and Martin Maudsley provide an extensive review of the literature related to children’s natural play. The authors begin by examining the human relationship with the natural world and the importance of play and direct interaction with the physical environment to children. Lester and Maudsley then review the important opportunities that natural play provides, such as the creation of special places, and the numerous documented and potential benefits of children’s play in natural settings, including the development of a sense of self and independence. The authors discuss evidence demonstrating a decline in children’s access and opportunities to play in natural spaces and provide a range of suggestions to support children’s opportunities to play in natural settings, such as through the design of effective playgrounds, school grounds, and environmental play projects, as well as ensuring adequate access to parks and nature reserves.

Lester, S., & Maudsley, M. (2006). “Play, naturally: A review of children’s natural play.” Children’s Play Council. 

http://www.playday.org.uk/PDF/play-naturally-a-review-of-childrens-natural play.pdf

An outdoor program enhances children‟s well-being, physical activity, and feelings of health, safety, and satisfaction

Many children in their teenage years face mental health challenges. Several studies have found that contact with nature and physical activity in a natural environment, what some call “green exercise,” improves psychological well-being. In this study, Wood and colleagues evaluated the impact of the Youth Outdoor Experience (YOE) project on participating children’s well-being and physical activity. The YOE project provides 11- to 18-year-old children from disadvantaged urban areas in England with opportunities to participate in a 12-week program where children engage in weekly structured outdoor activities. As part of this study, researchers had 14 participants complete a questionnaire to assess their well-being, connectedness to nature, and physical activity. Researchers also had 114 participants complete a questionnaire to assess the impact of the project on a range of well-being areas (e.g., being healthy, staying safe, and enjoying and achieving). Most participants completed both questionnaires at the start, middle, and end of the project. In analyzing the data, Wood and colleagues found a number of interesting results, including:

Participants’ well-being increased from the start to the end of the program. Participants’ contact with nature varied a lot over the course of the project.

Participants increased the number of days that they performed 30 minutes of moderate physical activity. Project leaders reported positive changes in participants’ attitudes, self-esteem, and behavior. Participants reported feeling healthier, safer, and more positive with regard to their school, home, and social lives, as well as their achievements.

While this study may be limited due to its small sample size and reliance on self-report measures, it highlights the need for additional research in this area and the potential role that nature-based activities can have on participants’ well-being, physical activity, and feelings of health, safety, and satisfaction.

Author Affiliation: Carly Wood is with the University of Essex in the UK.

Wood, C., Hine, R., & Barton, J. (2011). The health benefits of the Youth Outdoor Experience (YOE) project: University of Essex. This report may be available through the University of Essex, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, or Natural England

http://www.greenexercise.org/pdf/YOE report final version.pdf

Children who spend more time outside are more physically active

Time spent outside is one potential factor that may influence children’s physical activity. While previous studies have examined the relationship between time spent outside and children’s physical activity, they have been limited due to their reliance on methods that use self-report, parent report, or direct observation. In this study, Cooper and colleagues used global positioning system (GPS) receivers to record the outdoor location of over 1,000 11-year-old children in the UK and matched this information with data from accelerometers that measured children’s physical activity. Children wore the GPS units and accelerometers after school for four days. In analyzing the data, Cooper and colleagues found that children spent, on average, about 42 minutes outside after school each day. Researchers also found that children spent more time outdoors in the summer than in the winter months and that there were no significant differences between boys and girls with regard to time spent outside. In terms of physical activity, Cooper and colleagues found that physical activity was 2- 3 times higher outside than inside, physical activity outdoors was higher in the summer than in the winter months, and that there was no seasonal variation in physical activity that took place indoors. In examining the relationship between time spent outside and physical activity, researchers found that the more time children spent outside, the more physically active they were. This study may be limited due to user operation of the instruments as well as misclassification of indoor/outdoor locations, however, it provides further evidence of the important linkage between children’s time spent outside and their physical activity levels. This study also demonstrates the potential of combining GPS and accelerometer data to advance our understanding of this relationship.

Author Affiliation: Ashley Cooper is with the University of Bristol in the UK.

Cooper, A. R., Page, A. S., Wheeler, B. W., Hillsdon, M., Griew, P., & Jago, R. (2010). Patterns of GPS measured time outdoors after school and objective physical activity in English children: the PEACH project. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 7.

http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/7/1/31

Children with a park playground near their home are more likely to be of a healthy weight

Physical activity is thought to play an important role in childhood obesity. While research results to date are somewhat mixed, parks can provide important opportunities for children to be physically active. In this study, Potwarka and colleagues examine whether children’s weight is related to park space and the availability of specific park facilities within 1km of children’s homes. Researchers collected information on 108 two- to seventeen-year-old children from four neighborhoods in a mid-sized city in Ontario, Canada. Parents reported their child’s height and weight, while researchers used a Geographic Information System to assess park space for each child and a database and trained observers to assess park facilities. In analyzing the study data, Potwarka and colleagues found that proximity to park space was not significantly related to children’s weight status. The researchers did find, however, that when examining park facilities, children with a park playground within 1 km of their homes were five times more likely to be of a healthy weight than children without a park playground near their homes. While this study may be limited due to its relatively small sample size, reliance on parental report, and focus on availability as opposed to actual use of park space, this study provides valuable insight into the potential importance of children’s proximity to specific park facilities as opposed to park space in general.

Author Affiliation: The authors are with the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Potwarka, L. R., Kaczynski, A. T., & Flack, A. L. (2008). Places to play: association of park space and facilities with healthy weight status among children. Journal of Community Health, 33(5), 344- 350.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/579605

Neighborhood parks play an important role in promoting physical activity in children

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that children be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day and limit sedentary activity to less than 2 hours a day, many children do not meet these recommendations. In this article, Victoria Floriani and Christine Kennedy review the latest research findings with regard to the promotion of physical activity in children. For example, the authors discuss a number of studies which have found that access to a neighborhood park or playground is associated with higher levels of physical activity in children and that specific park amenities, such as lighting after dark, may be important in facilitating park use. Floriani and Kennedy also summarize research on sedentary behavior and how evidence, while often inconclusive, indicates that the less time children spend in sedentary behaviors, the more physically active they may be. In addition, the authors highlight recent research exploring the relationship between mental health and physical activity. While there is still much to be learned about this relationship, preliminary research has found a positive relationship between higher levels of physical activity and positive mental health outcomes, such as increased feelings of self-efficacy and confidence. Floriani and Kennedy conclude the article by encouraging pediatric health care providers to discuss physical activity with their patients and strategize with them on ways to incorporate activity into their daily lives.

Floriani, V., & Kennedy, C. (2008). “Promotion of physical activity in children.” Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 20(1), 90-95

http://sf-recpark.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/wcm_recpark/SPTF/Floriani.pdf

Many children and adolescents are vitamin D deficient

Worldwide, there is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among infants, children, and adolescents. Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for rickets and may be a risk factor for development of a number of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In this paper, S.Y. Huh and C.M. Gordon review the sources of vitamin D, which includes endogenous synthesis (the first step of which is the absorption of ultraviolet B radiation), how vitamin D deficiency is defined and measured, and the prevalence of and risk factors for vitamin D deficiency, which includes reduced sun exposure. In addition, the authors review the health effects of vitamin D deficiency and its prevention and treatment. Huh and Gorden stress the importance of additional research to determine the optimum concentration of vitamin D for children of different ages and to compare different regimens designed to prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency as well as to better understand short and long-term impacts on critical health outcomes.

Huh, S. Y., & Gordon, C. M. (2008). “Vitamin D deficiency in children and adolescents: Epidemiology, impact and treatment.” Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders, 9(2), 161-170.

http://www.vitaminedelft.org/files/art/huh2008.pdf

Elementary school principals overwhelmingly believe recess has a positive impact on students‟ achievement, learning, and development

Children spend more time in school than almost anywhere else. At school, recess provides one of the few opportunities for children to play and to potentially be outdoors. Gallup conducted a nationwide survey of 1,951 elementary school principals from urban, suburban, and rural schools to understand principals’ attitudes and experiences with recess. A few of the key findings include: 1) more than 80% of principals reported that recess has a positive impact on academic achievement; 2) 75% of principals stated that students are more focused in class after recess and listen better; and 3) more than 95% of principals believe that recess positively impacts students’ social development and general well-being. Despite these benefits, researchers found that many principals reported offering very limited recess times. For example, 50% of principals reported that students receive 30 minutes or less of recess per day. In addition, over 75% of principals reported taking recess away from students as a punishment. According to principals, one of the biggest challenges with recess is discipline-related problems. Principals identified additional staff, better equipment, and playground management training as ways to improve recess at schools.

Author Affiliation: The poll was conducted by Gallup with sponsorship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and assistance from the National Association of Elementary School Principals and Playworks.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2010). The state of play: Gallup survey of principals on school recess. 

http://www.playworks.org/files/StateOfPlayFeb2010.pdf

Green School Gyms improve children‟s health

BTCV is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that created Green Gyms to improve people’s health and the environment. As part of Green Gyms, individuals participate in a range of conservation and gardening projects outdoors, such as planting trees and constructing footpaths.

From 2007 to 2009, BTCV implemented Green Gyms in 9 primary schools. As part of these School Green Gyms, a weekly 1 to 1.5 hour session was provided for 10 weeks for groups of about 10 children at each school. During these sessions, children participated in environmental activities on their school grounds or nearby open spaces. BTCV commissioned a university to evaluate the School Green Gyms. As part of this evaluation, children completed a questionnaire before and after participation in the program. In analyzing the data, researchers found that children’s psychosocial health and overall health significantly improved after the Green Gyms program. In addition, they found that children’s weekend physical activity levels significantly increased after the program and that children felt very positive about the program. While the study data is based on self-reported information and it is difficult to separate the impact of the program activities from the outdoor context, this evaluation provides valuable information about the impact of an innovative program on children’s health.

BTCV. (2009). Evaluation findings: health and social outcomes 2009. BTCV.

http://www2.tcv.org.uk/GG_Schools0609.pdf

Outdoor experience for teens has self-reported life-changing results

A classic 1998 study by Dr. Stephen R. Kellert of Yale University, with assistance from Victoria Derr, remains the most comprehensive research to date to examine the effects on teenage youth of participation in outdoor education, specifically wilderness-based programs. Subjects were participants in programs offered through three old and well-respected organizations: the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and Outward Bound. The researchers used quantitative and qualitative research techniques, and parallel use of both retrospective and longitudinal study techniques. Results indicate that the majority of respondents found this outdoor experience to be “one of the best in their life.” Participants report positive effects on their personal, intellectual and, in some cases, spiritual development. Pronounced results were found in enhanced self-esteem, self-confidence, independence, autonomy and initiative. These impacts occurred among both the retrospective and longitudinal respondents in this study, which means, in part, that these results persisted through many years.

Kellert, Stephen R.; with the assistance of Victoria Derr. “A National Study of Outdoor Wilderness Experience.” New Haven: Yale University, 1998.

http://rendezvous.nols.edu/files/Curriculum/research_projects/Wilderness Education Reports/A National Study of Outdoor Wilderness Experience – by Stephen R. Kellert.pdf

Access to nature nurtures self-discipline

This study focuses on the positive benefits to inner city youth, particularly girls, from access to green spaces for play. Even a view of green settings enhances peace, self-control, and self-discipline. While the results are most notable for girls, the evidence is not limited to the positive impact on girls. (Original Research)

Taylor, Andrea Faber; Frances E. Kuo; and William C. Sullivan. “Views of Nature and Self- Discipline: Evidence from Inner City Children.” In the Journal of Environmental Psychology, 21, 2001. © 2001 Academic Press.

http://faculty.une.edu/cas/szeeman/GK-12/articles/ViewsofNature.pdf

Nature as a healer for autistic children

The reason of many symptoms of autistic children is sensory integration, it is the power to understand, organize and feel sensory data from the environment and body. The issues surround- ing sensory integration are presented in hyposensitive and hypersensitive a reaction by children with autism to the vestibular, proprioception, tactile, audio, visual, and olfactory senses.

The aim of this paper is establishing a group of guidelines for designing a therapeutic garden for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to treat the sensory integration problems of children with ASD by designing a sensory garden which should focus on therapeutic interference. By using the elements and principles of design, guidelines for this garden focused on producing calming effects for hyper reactive children with ASD and stimulating effects for hypo reactions.

! 2019 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license Hadeer Abd-El-Razak Barakat, Ali Bakr, Zeyad El-Sayad- Architecture Department, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt – Received 18 March 2018; revised 25 August 2018; accepted 16 October 2018

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016818302072

Exposure to nature for children with autism spectrum disorder: Benefits, caveats, and barriers

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the fastest growing developmental disorder in countries across the world. Although recent studies have demonstrated the health benefits of nature for typically developing children and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it is unclear whether these benefits extend to children with ASD. In this study, we investigated whether benefits associated with exposure to nature could be observed by parents of children diagnosed with ASD. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 parents and care- givers of children on the spectrum from two cities in China. Results showed that exposure to nature provided motor-sensory, emotional and social benefits to children with ASD, although some of the identified benefits also come with concerns. Participants identified a wide range of barriers that make exposing their children to nature difficult. Among them, inappropriate behaviors, safety concerns, phobias and issues with the public realm emerged as critical hurdles. These findings suggest that practitioners should consider nature exposure as an intervention strategy, and planners and designers should create places that better accommodate the needs of children with ASD. (Dongying Li, Linda Larsen, Yan Yang, Lan Wang, Yujia Zhai, William C. Sullivan – Health & Place)

Health and Place 55 (2019) 71–79

It’s official — spending time outside is good for you

Living close to nature and spending time outside has significant and wide-ranging health benefits — according to new research. A new report reveals that exposure to greenspace re‐ duces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure.  University of East Anglia. “It’s official — spending time outside is good for you.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 July 2018.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180706102842.htm

Daily exposure to nature can have a positive impact on adolescents’ mood

This study examined the association between exposure to varying concentrations of nature and adolescents’ mood. While previous research documents connections to nature and mental health, many such studies focused on adults and/or were conducted in artificially-controlled settings. This study was designed to address some unanswered questions by focusing on the exact places where adolescents visit as well as their street-level experiences with nature in every day settings.

Over 150 adolescents from four metropolitan areas in Illinois responded to school- wide invitations to participate in this study. Their participation included wearing a GPS tracking device, keeping an activity diary, and completing an online questionnaire assessing mood over a four-consecutive day period. The researchers calculated the concentration of nature participants were exposed to each day by using Google Street View images at the locations they visited. The on-line questionnaire – an adapted version of the Profile of Mood States scale — evaluated both an enduring mood state (in the past week) and current mood (transient feelings). The researchers also collected and analyzed information regarding possible confounding variables: individual control variables (demographic and socio-economic information, automobile access, and dog ownership) and day-by-day level control variables (day of week, total free time, total TV time, total physical activity time, and number of activities during the day).

In analyzing the data, the researchers used multi-level modeling (a form of statistical analysis) to reduce the impact of self-selection bias. They found significant associations between the concentration of nature and daily mood, even after controlling for both intra-individual and inter-individual level confounding variables. Results showed that the greener the environments the adolescents were exposed to on a daily basis, the better their mood states. Additional findings indicated that the participants, on average, spent a little less than an hour outdoors every day, and that adolescents from low income families were exposed to places with lower concentrations of nature than the other adolescents. The relationship between concentration of nature on mood did not vary across ethnicity or socio-economic groups.

This research highlights the importance of nature in accessible public space beyond neighborhoods and suggests that exposure to nature may be an effective treatment for adolescents who experience mood disturbances and are at risk for other mental disorders. It also suggests that school and extracurricular schedules should be flexible enough to incorporate active free play in nature. Other researchers may find the methods used in this study (i.e., combining GPS tracking and environmental exposure assessment) helpful in examining human-landscape relationships. (Li, D., Deal, B., Zhou, X., Slavenas, M., Sullivan, W.C., (2018). Moving beyond the neighborhood: Daily exposure to nature and adolescents’ mood. Landscape and Urban Planning, 173, 33-43).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.01.009

The top 5 health benefits of interacting with nature

The beginning of June in Colorado means the beginning of camping season, boat rides, swimming, and hiking with friends and family. We all know that outdoor summer activities can bring laughter, happiness, and relaxation, but did you know that there is scientific evidence behind the joys of feeling “one with nature?” A plethora of research on the health benefits of nature shows that there are restorative aspects to both being in nature, and being able to view scenes of nature, particularly areas with natural water. Research has shown that people with access to nearby natural settings have been found to be overall healthier than other individuals. Here are 5 health benefits of being “one with nature.”

1. Nature decreasing stress. Studies have shown that after being exposed to a stressful situation, viewing a nature scene or being in nature can actually help lower the physiological effects of stress such as heart rate, muscle tension, and pulse transit times. Additionally, research in prisons shows that inmates with cell windows with views of the natural world had lower rates of digestive illnesses, headaches, and had fewer sick calls overall. The stress-reducing health benefits of nature also extend to the workplace. Employees with a view of nature perceive lower levels of job stress and higher levels of job satisfaction.
2. Access to the outdoors makes you feel energized. Research has shown that humans elicit positive psychological responses to nature, which involve feelings of pleasure, sustained attention or interest, feeling a “relaxed wakefulness,” and a decrease of negative emotions such as anger and anxiety. All of these effects can be beneficial in our professional and academic environments, as well as our personal lives.
3. Being in nature can help “clear your head.”

This is a simple way of saying that when a person is exposed to nature, the brain is better able to relieve itself of “excess” circulation (or activity) and nervous system activation is reduced, allowing us to feel relaxed and present. Additionally, experience with nature can help strengthen the activities of the right hemisphere of the brain, and help restore harmony to the brain as a whole.

4. Interactions with nature can help people recover from mental fatigue. After hours of sitting behind a desk or in front of a computer, it can be pretty easy to feel drained and tired. However, research has shown that exposure to nature can help promote a sense of natural fascination and curiosity, which can help increase creativity in a way that feels less like “work.” Furthermore, interactions with nature can help promote a sense of being away from all the chaos of our busy lives. This can help provide a temporary escape from one’s usual setting or situation.
5. Viewing natural scenes has shown increased recovery rates in hospital patients. Studies have shown that being able to views natural scenic areas may actually reduce the physiological effects of stress. Patients in hospitals with access to view natural scenery show increased recovery rates, had better evaluations from nurses, required fewer pain killers, and had less post-operative complications compared to those who viewed urban scenes.

The research promoting the mind-body health benefits of nature is overwhelming and universal, even if it just means being able to view a scene of nature. When given a choice, people prefer natural environments (particularly those with natural water features, large old trees, intact vegetation, or minimal human influence) to urban ones. This summer, grab your friends, your loved ones, or just yourself and enjoy all the outdoor wonders of Colorado! Just don’t forget your SPF!  (Maller, C., Townsend, M., Pryor, A., Brown, P., & St Leger, L. (2006). Healthy nature healthy people: “contact with nature” as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations. Health promotion international, 21(1), 45-54).

https://source.colostate.edu/top-5-health-benefits-interacting-nature/

Just 20 minutes of nature significantly lowers stress hormones

A new study reveals that for urban dwellers, spending just 20 minutes with natural elements significantly lowers stress.

Have you heard about “nature pills” and “nature prescriptions”? After repeated studies have concluded that contact with nature reduces stress and improves well-being, doctors have started “prescribing” time spent outside.

But while we know it works, the parameters have been a bit murky: What kind of nature works? How often should one spend time in nature? And for how long? With this in mind, researchers from the University of Michigan set out to discover.

The research is novel in that, among other things, the study participants were free to choose the time of day, duration, and the place of a NE in response to personal preference and changing daily schedules.

For eight weeks, 36 urban dwellers were asked to have a NE at least three times a week for a duration of 10 minutes or more. As the study explains:

“The NE was defined as anywhere outside that, in the opinion of the participant, included a sufficiency of natural elements to feel like a nature interaction. Participants understood they were free to adjust the place, time of day, and duration of the NE in response to changing daily circumstances to best accommodate their goal.”

During a NE, they could sit, walk, or do both – with only a few rules.

“There were a few constraints to minimize factors known to influence stress: take the nature pill in daylight, no aerobic exercise, and avoid the use of social media, internet, phone calls, conversations and reading,” explains Dr. MaryCarol Hunter, an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan and lead author of the research.

To measure stress, levels of the stress hormones were measured from saliva samples taken before and after a nature pill.

What they found was that just a twenty-minute nature experience was enough to significantly reduce cortisol levels. And even better, if you bump that up to between 20 and 30 minutes, cortisol levels dropped at their greatest rate. After that, de-stressing continues, but more slowly. From the study:

“For salivary cortisol, an NE produced a 21.3%/hour drop beyond that of the hormone’s 11.7% diurnal drop. The efficiency of a nature pill per time expended was greatest between 20 and 30 min, after which benefits continued to accrue, but at a reduced rate. For salivary alpha-amylase, there was a 28.1%/h drop after adjusting for its diurnal rise of 3.5%/h, but only for participants that were least active sitting or sitting with some walking. Activity type did not influence cortisol response.”

Hunter says that we know that spending time in nature reduces stress, but until now it was unclear how much is enough, how often to do it, or even what kind of nature experience will benefit us. “Our study shows that for the greatest payoff, in terms of efficiently lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature.”

This is such valuable research because now doctors can have measurable standards for which to prescribe nature pills.

“Healthcare practitioners can use our results as an evidence-based rule of thumb on what to put in a nature-pill prescription,” says Hunter. “It provides the first estimates of how nature experiences impact stress levels in the context of normal daily life. It breaks new ground by addressing some of the complexities of measuring an effective nature dose.”

Imagine skipping the pharmaceuticals and having an effective, low-cost tool of preventative medicine so readily available. With increasing urbanization, sedentary and indoor lifestyles, and a preponderance of screen time, it’s good to know that the road to well-being could be as easy as a walk in the park.

The research was published in Frontiers in Psychology

(https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722/full) the relationship between the duration of a nature experience (NE), and changes in two physiological biomarkers of stress – salivary cortisol and alpha- amylase.