Mental & Physical Health Benefits of Connecting with Nature
And Practical Strategies for Applying this Knowledge.
This section begins by exploring how the opportunity for nature connection and the health of our population is being threatened by a changing climate, urbanization, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It will then examine the incredibly wide breadth of scientific research behind the mental and physical health benefits of connecting to nature. As healthcare professionals, we have the opportunity to not only advocate for increased accessibility to nature for our communities’ health, but also, to motivate our patients through evidence-based communication.
For centuries, human beings have discussed their inherent connection to nature. Often, we hear people speak intuitively of their awareness for the positive impacts from connecting with nature. The perceived benefits of spending time in nature have been described to include bringing about a sense of calmness, happiness, and grounding. More recently, the inextricable links between the health of our community and the health of our environment has become increasingly clear. In this section, we will highlight the incredibly wide breadth of research that has emerged over the past few decades on the evidence behind the benefits of connecting with nature.
Addressed in this section:
What are the benefits of connecting to nature? Is this supported by scientific evidence? What are strategies to communicate this knowledge?
The goal of this section is to empower you to understand the specific health benefits of connecting to nature and how to share them with your community, your patients and yourself.
“The overall guiding principle for the world, nations, regions and communities alike, is the need to encourage reciprocal maintenance… to take care of each other, our communities and our natural environment”
Learn About Nature Connection as a Strategy For Health
CURRENT CHALLENGES
This section focuses on the concurrent challenges of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing chronic diseases and mental health disorders.
Both climate change and urbanization have been identified as two of the greatest threats to population health. In addition, increasingly sedentary behaviour, physical inactivity, feelings of loneliness, and more.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Over the past several decades, an incredible breadth of scientific evidence behind the mental and physical benefits of connecting to nature has emerged.
Research includes studies showing reduced stress levels marked by a reduction in cortisol levels to improved sleep, cognitive function, social connection and more.
A HEALTH STRATEGY
This section focuses on how we can communicate the knowledge we learn on the health benefits of connecting to nature to people within our community.
Research shows that solely having the opportunity to access nature is not sufficient to encourage its use. To motivate behaviour there needs to be an understanding of why an individual should.
This section also describes how to prescribe nature through the PaRx Program.
EVIDENCE INTO ACTION
This section looks at avenues for advocacy to both increase opportunity and accessibility for various populations to connect to nature, including healthcare professionals and vulnerable populations.
It includes action for:
Healthcare workers
Patients
Communities
Our Planet
“Bold action must be taken to conserve, restore and sustainably manage nature for climate mitigation and adaptation. The time to act is now. We will succeed by working together: reconnecting people and nature to implement… a secure [and] sustainable future for all – both now and for generations to come.”
References:
[1] Cox, D. T. C., Hudson, H. L., Shanahan, D. F., Fuller, R. A., & Gaston, K. J. (2017). The rarity of direct experiences of nature in an urban population. Landscape and Urban Planning, 160, 79–84.
[2] 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.