1
|
Dong J, Browning MHEM, Reuben A, McAnirlin O, Yuan S, Stephens C, Maisonet M, Zhang K, Hart JE, James P, Yeager R. The paradox of high greenness and poor health in rural Central Appalachia. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 248:118400. [PMID: 38309568 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
While many studies have found positive correlations between greenness and human health, rural Central Appalachia is an exception. The region has high greenness levels but poor health. The purpose of this commentary is to provide a possible explanation for this paradox: three sets of factors overwhelming or attenuating the health benefits of greenness. These include environmental (e.g., steep typography and limited access to green space used for outdoor recreation), social (e.g., chronic poverty, declining coal industry, and limited access to healthcare), and psychological and behavioral factors (e.g., perceptions about health behaviors, healthcare, and greenness). The influence of these factors on the expected health benefits of greenness should be considered as working hypotheses for future research. Policymakers and public health officials need to ensure that greenness-based interventions account for contextual factors and other determinants of health to ensure these interventions have the expected health benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Dong
- School of Architecture, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China; Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Matthew H E M Browning
- Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA.
| | - Aaron Reuben
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Olivia McAnirlin
- Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | | | - Mildred Maisonet
- Biostatistics and Epidemiology Department, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA
| | - Kuiran Zhang
- Virtual Reality and Nature Lab, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Jaime E Hart
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter James
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ray Yeager
- Division of Environmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Narayan S. Just Transition for Healthy People on a Healthy Planet. New Solut 2023; 33:72-82. [PMID: 37093807 DOI: 10.1177/10482911231167566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
The definition of Just Transition in recent years has been shaped by the political and ideological leanings of multiple stakeholders. Labor movements look at a Just Transition that secures workers' rights and jobs; environmental justice groups include whole communities impacted by fossil fuel in their description; multilateral institutions, investors, and transnational corporations see it through lenses of economics, financial support, and investment. However, a perspective on health is missing in all these approaches. The COVID-19 pandemic has established the importance of health-based planning, making evident the co-dependence of ecological health and human well-being. The debilitating post-pandemic economic crisis has reiterated the interlinkage between economics, public health, and the environment. This document posits that health is the overlapping but missing link between the different movements' dream for Just Transition into an equitable world, and to heal people and the planet damaged by fossil fuels. We need Just Transition that has holistic health systems and accessible healthcare services at its core.
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
AIMS Not only is nature essential for human existence, but many of its functions and contributions are irreplaceable. Studying the impact of these changes on individuals and communities, researchers and public health officials have largely focused on physical health. Our aim is to better understand how climate change also exacerbates many social and environmental risk factors for mental health and psychosocial problems, and can lead to emotional distress, the development of new mental health conditions and a worsening situation for people already living with these conditions. METHODS We considered all possible direct and indirect pathways by which climate change can affect mental health. We built a framework which includes climate change-related hazards, climate change-related global environmental threats, social and environmental exposure pathways, and vulnerability factors and inequalities to derive possible mental health and psychosocial outcomes. RESULTS We identified five approaches to address the mental health and psychosocial impacts of climate change which we suggest should be implemented with urgency: (1) integrate climate change considerations into policies and programmes for mental health, to better prepare for and respond to the climate crisis; (2) integrate mental health and psychosocial support within policies and programmes dealing with climate change and health; (3) build upon global commitments including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction; (4) implement multisectoral and community-based approaches to reduce vulnerabilities and address the mental health and psychosocial impacts of climate change; and (5) address the large gaps that exist in funding both for mental health and for responding to the health impacts of climate change. CONCLUSIONS There is growing evidence of the various mechanisms by which climate change is affecting mental health. Given the human impacts of climate change, mental health and psychosocial well-being need to be one of the main focuses of climate action. Therefore, countries need to dramatically accelerate their responses to climate change, including efforts to address its impacts on mental health and psychosocial well-being.
Collapse
|
4
|
Krüger T, Kraus T, Kaifie A. A Changing Home: A Cross-Sectional Study on Environmental Degradation, Resettlement and Psychological Distress in a Western German Coal-Mining Region. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19127143. [PMID: 35742391 PMCID: PMC9223024 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Unwelcome environmental changes can lead to psychological distress, known as “solastalgia”. In Germany, the open-pit mining of brown coal results in environmental changes as well as in the resettlement of adjacent villages. In this study, we investigated the risk of open-pit mining for solastalgia and psychological disorders (e.g., depression, generalized anxiety and somatization) in local communities. The current residents and resettlers from two German open-pit mines were surveyed concerning environmental stressors, place attachment, impacts and mental health status. In total, 620 people responded, including 181 resettlers, 114 people from villages threatened by resettlement and 325 people from non-threatened villages near an open-pit mine. All groups self-reported high levels of psychological distress, approximately ranging between 2−7.5 times above the population average. Respondents from resettlement-threatened villages showed the worst mental health status, with 52.7% indicating at least moderate somatization levels (score sum > 9), compared to 28% among resettlers. We observed a mean PHQ depression score of 7.9 (SD 5.9) for people from resettlement-threatened villages, 7.4 (SD 6.0) for people from not-threatened villages, compared to 5.0 (SD 6.5) for already resettled people (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the degradation and loss of the home environment caused by open-pit mining was associated with an increased prevalence of depressive, anxious and somatoform symptoms in local communities. This reveals a need for further in-depth research, targeted psychosocial support and improved policy frameworks, in favor of residents’ and resettlers’ mental health.
Collapse
|
5
|
Kumar P, Kumar N, Sarthi PP. Feeling solastalgia: A study of the effects of changing climate in rural India. ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ajsp.12473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Kumar
- Department of Psychological Sciences Central University of South Bihar GayaIndia
| | - Narsingh Kumar
- Department of Psychological Sciences Central University of South Bihar GayaIndia
| | - Pradhan Parth Sarthi
- Department of Environmental Sciences Central University of South Bihar Gaya India
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ecological Grief as a Response to Environmental Change: A Mental Health Risk or Functional Response? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18020734. [PMID: 33467018 PMCID: PMC7830022 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18020734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The perception of the impact of climate change on the environment is becoming a lived experience for more and more people. Several new terms for climate change-induced distress have been introduced to describe the long-term emotional consequences of anticipated or actual environmental changes, with ecological grief as a prime example. The mourning of the loss of ecosystems, landscapes, species and ways of life is likely to become a more frequent experience around the world. However, there is a lack of conceptual clarity and systematic research efforts with regard to such ecological grief. This perspective article introduces the concept of ecological grief and contextualizes it within the field of bereavement. We provide a case description of a mountaineer in Central Europe dealing with ecological grief. We introduce ways by which ecological grief may pose a mental health risk and/or motivate environmental behavior and delineate aspects by which it can be differentiated from related concepts of solastalgia and eco-anxiety. In conclusion, we offer a systematic agenda for future research that is embedded in the context of disaster mental health and bereavement research.
Collapse
|
7
|
Banwell C, Housen T, Smurthwaite K, Trevenar S, Walker L, Todd K, Rosas M, Kirk M. Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0245141. [PMID: 33444329 PMCID: PMC7808650 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a public health issue globally. In Australia high concentrations of PFAS have been found in environments close to sites where Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) were historically used for firefighting activities. This has resulted in significant community concern about the potential long-term health effects of these chemicals. OBJECTIVE We describe residents' perceptions and experiences of PFAS in three regional Australian towns where exposure has occurred. METHODS We conducted focus groups to generate free-flowing open discussion on PFAS in three affected communities, including some with significant numbers of First Nations Peoples. We recruited participants using a range of media outlets and postal services. Focus group transcripts were analysed thematically to identify major shared concerns using Atlas Ti. RESULTS One hundred and eighty residents attended fifteen focus groups that were conducted in the three communities. They included 69 First Nations People living in three communities near the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Study participants were concerned about potential physical health effects of exposure to PFAS, such as cancer clusters, unexplained deaths, potential exacerbation of existing health conditions, and the future health of their children. They expressed feelings of stress and anxiety about living with uncertainty related to the possible health and the socio-economic impacts of PFAS contamination in their communities. CONCLUSION While research has concentrated on the physical health effects of PFAS, more attention needs to be given to the immediate psychosocial impacts of living in an affected community.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Banwell
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Tambri Housen
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Kayla Smurthwaite
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Susan Trevenar
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Liz Walker
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Katherine Todd
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - May Rosas
- Ngaigu-Mulu Aboriginal Corporation, Katherine, NT, Australia
| | - Martyn Kirk
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
This article reviews evidence for the public health impacts of coal across the extraction, processing, use, and waste disposal continuum. Surface coal mining and processing impose public health risks on residential communities through air and water pollution. Burning coal in power plants emits more nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and heavy metals per unit of energy than any other fuel source and impairs global public health. Coal ash disposal exposes communities to heavy metals and particulate matter waste. Use of coal in domestic households causes public health harm concentrated in developing nations. Across the coal continuum, adverse impacts are disproportionately felt by persons of poor socioeconomic status, contributing to health inequities. Despite efforts to develop renewable energy sources, coal use has not declined on a global scale. Concentrated efforts to eliminate coal as an energy source are imperative to improve public health and avert serious climate change consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hendryx
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA;
| | - Keith J Zullig
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA;
| | - Juhua Luo
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Canu WH, Jameson JP, Steele EH, Denslow M. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining and Emergent Cases of Psychological Disorder in Kentucky. Community Ment Health J 2017; 53:802-810. [PMID: 28213767 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-017-0122-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Although mountaintop removal (MTR) coal extraction techniques have been employed in Appalachia for decades, relatively little research has examined its potential psychological impact on people living in close proximity to MTR activity. The current study taps the State Emergency Department Database (Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Kentucky State Emergency Department Database, 2008) to examine the relative risk for diagnoses of depressive, substance use, and anxiety disorders originating in areas with and without MTR activity. Logistical regression analyses, controlling for ethnicity, rurality, mean income, and gender, indicated that MTR independently predicts greater risk for depressive (OR 1.37) and substance use disorders (OR 1.41), but not anxiety disorders. Overall, these findings have public health policy implications, build on other evidence of increased risk of negative mental health outcomes related to MTR, and lend some support to the validity of solastalgia related to environmental change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Will H Canu
- Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, 222 Joyce Lawrence Lane, Boone, NC, 28608, USA.
| | - John Paul Jameson
- Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, 222 Joyce Lawrence Lane, Boone, NC, 28608, USA
| | - Ellen H Steele
- Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, 222 Joyce Lawrence Lane, Boone, NC, 28608, USA
| | - Michael Denslow
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, 28608, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Krometis LA, Gohlke J, Kolivras K, Satterwhite E, Marmagas SW, Marr LC. Environmental health disparities in the Central Appalachian region of the United States. REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2017; 32:253-266. [PMID: 28682789 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2017-0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Health disparities that cannot be fully explained by socio-behavioral factors persist in the Central Appalachian region of the United States. A review of available studies of environmental impacts on Appalachian health and analysis of recent public data indicates that while disparities exist, most studies of local environmental quality focus on the preservation of nonhuman biodiversity rather than on effects on human health. The limited public health studies available focus primarily on the impacts of coal mining and do not measure personal exposure, constraining the ability to identify causal relationships between environmental conditions and public health. Future efforts must engage community members in examining all potential sources of environmental health disparities to identify effective potential interventions.
Collapse
|
11
|
|
12
|
Mannarino MB. Journeys Into Awareness: The Long Emergency and Counselor and Psychologist Training. ECOPSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1089/eco.2015.0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|
13
|
Morrone, Chadwick, Kruse. A Community Divided: Hydraulic Fracturing
in Rural Appalachia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.5406/jappastud.21.2.0207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
|
14
|
Mannarino MB. A Beautiful Mess: Embracing the Complexity of Ecopsychology. ECOPSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1089/eco.2013.0067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|
15
|
Hendryx M, Innes-Wimsatt KA. Increased Risk of Depression for People Living in Coal Mining Areas of Central Appalachia. ECOPSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1089/eco.2013.0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hendryx
- Department of Health Policy, Management and Leadership, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
| | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Randall R. What is Nature? Comments on the Special Section “Depth Psychology and Ecopsychology”. ECOPSYCHOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1089/eco.2012.0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
|