1
|
Ong AD, Cintron DW, Fuligni GL. Engagement with nature and proinflammatory biology. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 119:51-55. [PMID: 38555989 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior evidence indicates that contact with nature improves physical health, but data explicitly linking engagement with nature to biological processes are limited. DESIGN Leveraging survey and biomarker data from 1,244 adults (mean age = 54.50 years, range = 34-84 years) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS II) study, we examined associations between nature engagement, operationalized as the frequency of pleasant nature encounters, and systemic inflammation. Concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen were measured from fasting blood samples. Analyses adjusted for sociodemographic, health behavior, and psychological well-being covariates. RESULTS More frequent positive nature contact was independently associated with lower circulating levels of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS These findings add to a growing literature on the salubrious health effects of nature by demonstrating how such experiences are instantiated in downstream physiological systems, potentially informing future interventions and public health policies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D Ong
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, New York; Center for Integrative Developmental Science, Cornell University, New York; Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.
| | - Dakota W Cintron
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, New York; Center for Integrative Developmental Science, Cornell University, New York
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Griffin GM, Nieto C, Senturia K, Brown M, Garrett K, Nguyen E, Glassy D, Kroshus E, Tandon P. Project nature: promoting outdoor physical activity in children via primary care. BMC Prim Care 2024; 25:68. [PMID: 38395776 PMCID: PMC10885514 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-024-02297-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Families face a range of barriers in supporting their children's active play in nature including family circumstances, environmental constraints, and behavioral factors. Evidence-based strategies to address these barriers are needed. We aimed to develop and pilot test a primary care-based family-centered behavioral intervention to promote active outdoor play in 4-10 year-old children. METHODS Project Nature, a provider-delivered intervention that provides informational resources and an age-appropriate toy for nature play, was initially developed for children ages 0-3. With stakeholder input, we adapted existing materials for 4-10 year-olds and conducted usability testing at an urban clinic serving families from diverse backgrounds. Subsequently, we conducted a mix-methods pilot study to evaluate intervention feasibility and acceptability. Parents of 4-10 year-olds completed pre- and post-surveys (n = 22), and a purposive subset (n = 10) completed qualitative interviews. Post-intervention, pediatric providers (n = 4) were interviewed about their implementation experiences. RESULTS The majority (82%) of parents liked the information provided and the remaining (18%) were neutral. Qualitatively, parents reported that: the toy provided a tangible element to help children and parents be active, they did not use the website, and they wished the intervention emphasized strategies for physical activity during cold and wet seasons. Providers felt the materials facilitated discussion about behavior change with families. There were no statistically significant changes in PA and outdoor time pre- and post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS Project Nature was welcomed by providers and families and may be a practical intervention to promote outdoor active play during well-child visits. Providing an age-appropriate nature toy seemed to be a critical component of the intervention, and may be worth the additional cost, time and storage space required by clinics. Building from these results, Project Nature should be revised to better support active outdoor play during suboptimal weather and evaluated to test its efficacy in a fully-powered trial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgia M Griffin
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, 4800 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
| | - Carolina Nieto
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Kirsten Senturia
- University of Washington School of Public Health, 3980 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Marshall Brown
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Kimberly Garrett
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Elizabeth Nguyen
- Department of Primary Care & Rural Medicine, Texas A&M School of Medicine, 2900 E 29th Street, Suite 100, Bryan, TX, 77802, USA
| | - Danette Glassy
- BestStart Washington, PO Box 318, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, USA
| | - Emily Kroshus
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, 4800 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Pooja Tandon
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, 4800 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bratman GN, Mehta A, Olvera-Alvarez H, Spink KM, Levy C, White MP, Kubzansky LD, Gross JJ. Associations of nature contact with emotional ill-being and well-being: the role of emotion regulation. Cogn Emot 2024:1-20. [PMID: 38362747 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2316199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Nature contact has associations with emotional ill-being and well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully understood. We hypothesised that increased adaptive and decreased maladaptive emotion regulation strategies would be a pathway linking nature contact to ill-being and well-being. Using data from a survey of 600 U.S.-based adults administered online in 2022, we conducted structural equation modelling to test our hypotheses. We found that (1) frequency of nature contact was significantly associated with lesser emotional ill-being and greater emotional well-being, (2) effective emotion regulation was significantly associated with lesser emotional ill-being and greater emotional well-being, and (3) the associations of higher frequency of nature contact with these benefits were partly explained via emotion regulation. Moreover, we found a nonlinear relationship for the associations of duration of nature contact with some outcomes, with a rise in benefits up to certain amounts of time, and a levelling off after these points. These findings support and extend previous work that demonstrates that the associations of nature contact with emotional ill-being and well-being may be partly explained by changes in emotion regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory N Bratman
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ashish Mehta
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Chaja Levy
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mathew P White
- Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Laura D Kubzansky
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James J Gross
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Fossa AJ, D'Souza J, Bergmans R, Zivin K, Adar SD. Residential greenspace and major depression among older adults living in urban and suburban areas with different climates across the United States. Environ Res 2024; 243:117844. [PMID: 38061587 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM Residential greenspace could alleviate depression - a leading cause of disability. Fewer studies of depression and greenspace have considered major depression, and, to our knowledge, none have considered how climate, which determines vegetation abundance and type, may change the impacts of greenspace. Our aim was to investigate whether residential greenspace is associated with major depression among older adults and explore effect modification by climate. METHODS We used biennial interviews between 2008 and 2016 from the Health and Retirement Study. We calculated greenness within walking distance of home addresses as the maximum NDVI for the year of each participant interview averaged within a 1 km buffer. Reflecting clinical criteria, a score of ≥5 on the CIDI-SF indicated major depression in the preceding 12-months. We characterized climate using Köppen-Geiger classifications. To estimate prevalence ratios, we used Poisson regression. Our models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, geography, annual sunshine, and bluespace. RESULTS The 21,611 eligible participants were 65 ± 10 years old on average, 55% female, 81% White, 12% Black, 10% Hispanic/Latino, and 31% had at least a 4-year college degree. The 12-month prevalence of a major depression was 8%. In adjusted models, more residential greenspace was associated with a lower prevalence of major depression (prevalence ratio per IQR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.98). There was evidence of effect modification by climate (P forinteraction, 0.062). We observed stronger associations in tropical (prevalence ratio per IQR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.47 to 1.01) and cold (prevalence ratio per IQR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.93) climates compared to arid (prevalence ratio per IQR 0.99; 95% CI, 0.90 to 1.09) and temperate (prevalence ratio per IQR 0.98; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.11) climates. CONCLUSIONS Residential greenspace may help reduce major depression. However, climate may influence how people benefit from greenspace.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alan J Fossa
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
| | - Jennifer D'Souza
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Rachel Bergmans
- University of Michigan, Medical School, Department of Anesthesiology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Kara Zivin
- University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Sara D Adar
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Alcock I, White MP, Pahl S, Duarte-Davidson R, Fleming LE. Associations between pro-environmental behaviour and neighbourhood nature, nature visit frequency and nature appreciation: Evidence from a nationally representative survey in England. Environ Int 2020; 136:105441. [PMID: 31927464 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Progress on changing human behaviour to meet the challenges of regional and global sustainability has been slow. Building on theory as well as small-scale survey and experimental evidence that exposure to nature may be associated with greater pro-environmentalism, the aim of the current study was to quantify relationships between exposure to nature (operationalised as neighbourhood greenspace, coastal proximity, and recreational nature visits) as well as appreciation of the natural world, and self-reported pro-environmental behaviour for the adult population of England. Using data from a nationally representative sample (N = 24,204), and controlling for potential confounders, a structural equation model was used to estimate relationships. Indirect effects of neighbourhood exposures via nature visits and nature appreciation were accounted for. We found positive relationships between both recreational nature visits and nature appreciation and pro-environmental behaviour across both the whole sample and key socio-demographic groups. The more individuals visited nature for recreation and the more they appreciated the natural world, the more pro-environmental behaviour they reported. Although rural and coastal dwellers tended to also be more pro-environmental on average, patterns were complex, potentially reflecting situational constraints and opportunities. Importantly, positive associations between pro-environmental behaviours and high neighbourhood greenspace and coastal proximity were present for both high and low socio-economic status households. Improving access to, and contact with, nature, e.g., through better urban planning, may be one approach for meeting sustainability targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ian Alcock
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK.
| | - Mathew P White
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK.
| | - Sabine Pahl
- School of Psychology (Faculty of Health and Human Sciences), University of Plymouth, B219, 22 Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK.
| | - Raquel Duarte-Davidson
- Public Health England Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE), Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RQ, UK.
| | - Lora E Fleming
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3HD, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Moran D. Back to nature? Attention restoration theory and the restorative effects of nature contact in prison. Health Place 2019; 57:35-43. [PMID: 30953997 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
This paper considers the potential for elements of custodial environments to have a restorative effect on those who are incarcerated within them. Considering the applicability and practicality of using Attention Restoration Theory (ART) to frame experience in a custodial context, it interprets results of a survey of prisoners at a large medium-security prison for men in the United Kingdom. It reflects on prisoners' experiences in relation to elements of the environment in which they reside; specifically, outdoor green spaces and green views in the form of whole-wall photographic images of the natural environment. In an otherwise stressful context, such elements were self-reported to enable restorative effects, and to increase feelings of calm, and the ability to reflect. It finds that the potential benefits differed between environmental elements, and that compatibility with prisoners' own needs was a key issue. It concludes with suggestions about the potential utility of ART-informed design of custodial landscapes. The paper also reflects on the methodological challenges of using ART to understand the experience of prisoners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Moran
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| |
Collapse
|