Week 10: Nature as Health Promotion

50%

80% In 1910, this was 20%

Access to amenities Good access to food Better drinking water and sanitation - public amenities

Number of street and park trees increasing Amount of natural cover is decreasing

Nature relatedness survey

Experiencing nature while not being physically present in it ie. viewing in a picture

Experiencing nature as a by-product of another activity ie. walking to work

Experiencing or being in nature through direct intention

Inside a building Foliage plants

Landscape dominated by urban form Public or private green-space, roadside vegetation

Area immediately surrounding a town/city Peri-urban nature reserves

Agriculture lands Paddocks, fields, countryside

Area where human influence is low Beaches, ocean, river, water, mountain, forests, woodlands, national parks

Cases where object of the interaction is defined with no particular setting Marine animals, avian, domestic pets

Positive effects on mental processes Increased self-esteem, improved mood, reduced anger/frustration, psychological well being, reduced anxiety, improved behaviour

Positive effect on cognitive function or ability Attentional restoration, reduced mental fatigue, improved academic performance, improved ability to perform tasks, improved cognitive function, improved productivity, educational/learning opportunities

Positive effect on physical function and physical health Stress reduction, reduced blood pressure, reduced cortisol levels, reduced headaches, reduced mortality from circulatory disease, faster healing, addiction recovery, improved perceived health, reduced long-term illness from cardiovascular/respiratory disease, reduced occurrence of illness

Positive social effect at individual, community or national scale Facilitates social interaction, enables social empowerment, reduced crime rates, reduced violence, enables interractial interaction, social cohesion, social support

Positive effect on individual religious pursuits or spiritual well being Increased inspiration, increased spiritual well being

Material goods than an individual can accrue for wealth of possession Food supply, money, increased property value

Trees Source of pharmaceuticals and other chemical products used in conventional and alternative medicine Functional molecules, bioactive protective susbstances

1) Reducing harm (mitigation) 2) Restoring capacity (restoration) 3) Building capacity (instoration)

Killed lots of trees Increase in respiratory-related deaths and cardiovascular-related deaths

Birch, hazel and alder have variable allergenic potency Pollen-induced respiratory allergy more common in urban areas