Connecting UW Campus to Health and Wellbeing with a ‘Nature and Health Walk’
By Allie Long
Have you ever felt anxious, tired, or overwhelmed, and then noticed a release in tension once you’ve taken a break to spend some time outside? Research shows you’re not alone.
Outdoor activities for children and parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in BMC Public Health
Nature and Health researchers associate outdoor activities for children and parents with improved mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. An important link to understanding the benefits of park access is understanding co-participation between the parents and children.
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Stress recovery from virtual exposure to a brown (desert) environment versus a green environment
Although we have seen research on the beneficial relationship between nature contact and human health, little is known on how natural environments that are not green affect stress. Nature and Health researchers tested the effect of a virtual reality exposure to the desert among healthy adult male residents of El Paso, Texas.
Journal of Psychology
Biodiversity and infrastructure interact to drive tourism to and within Costa Rica
Nature and Health researchers explore how nature-based tourism has the potential to sustain an area’s biodiversity and economic development in a recent article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Making Healthy Places, Second Edition: Designing and Building for Well-Being, Equity, and Sustainability
In Making Healthy Places, Second Edition: Designing and Building for Well-Being, Equity, and Sustainability, planning and public health experts Nisha D. Botchwey, Andrew L. Dannenberg, and Howard Frumkin bring together scholars and practitioners from across the globe in fields ranging from public health, planning, and urban design, to sustainability, social work, and public policy.
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The Journal of Climate Change and Health: Hope, Health, and the Climate Crisis
How do health professionals acknowledge the climate crisis and its connections with human health? Howard Frumkin published an article in The Journal of Climate Change and Health that offers ways for health professionals to consider hope as a path forward for themselves, their patients, and future generations.
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GeekWire Interview: Nature and Health studies link between environment and well-being
Josh Lawler, director of UW’s Nature and Health initiative which studies the connections between the environment and human health and wellbeing, recently connected with GeekWire for an interview. Two projects by Nature and Health researchers, Pooja Tandon and Spencer Wood are highlighted.
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BMC Public Health: Wildfire and Mental Health in Rural Communities
Anna Humphreys, Elizabeth G. Walker, Gregory N. Bratman & Nicole A. Errett published an article in BMC Public Health about wildfire and mental health in rural communities. Among proposed solutions, stress reduction, physical protection, and community cohesion have the opportunity to promote resilience.
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Seattle Times: REI Advocacy Director on Covid-19, Equity, and Mental Health
REI Co-op’s advocacy director, Marc Berejka shares the pandemic-time opportunities we have to work on accessibility in nature and spend time outside. UW’s Nature and Health initiative and our recent conference are highlighted as contributing to this national and global movement.
Read the interviewNature and Health researchers publish new paper on the beneficial impacts of nature exposure for Amazon employees; results suggest stress reduction benefits
In these winter times when staying indoors feels especially magnetic, it’s important to reflect on the myriad of benefits that nature exposure can provide for our physical, mental, and emotional well-being — especially as employees throughout the US and across industries continue to report elevated levels of work stress.
Learn more about the study’s findings here