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The Importance of (Not Just Visual) Interaction With Nature: A Study With the Girl Scouts
This study investigated whether children’s nature interactions that are embodied (versus only visual) would be associated with a state of being highly aware without thought, including being in “the present moment,” and/or feeling connected to something beyond the self. We refer to this state of being as Presence in nature. Using an interaction pattern approach, we coded written narratives from 127 Girl Scouts (8-11 years old) about a recent meaningful nature experience and, through a questionnaire designed for the study, assessed the degree to which participants experienced Presence in that nature experience. Exploratory analyses indicated that participants who enacted embodied interactions with nature (e.g., “making snowman,” “wrapping arms around tree,” “talking to chickens”) reported a greater sense of Presence in nature than participants whose interactions relied solely on vision (e.g., “seeing snow,” “seeing moss,” “watching pileated woodpecker”). Discussion focuses on the implications of Girl Scouts’ embodied nature interactions for environmental education. Related Media Q&A: UW Researchers Examine Mental Impact of Girl Scouts’ Interactions With Nature (April 21, 2025)
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Time Spent Interacting with Nature Is Associated with Greater Well-Being for Girl Scouts Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic rendered daily life overwhelmingly difficult for many children. Given the compelling evidence for the physical and mental health benefits of interaction with nature, might it be the case that time spent interacting with nature buffered the negative effects of the pandemic for children? To address this question, we conducted a longitudinal investigation with a cohort of 137 Girl Scouts across two time periods: right before the onset of the pandemic (December 2019–February 2020) and one year later (December 2020–February 2021). We found that during the pandemic (compared to pre-pandemic), Girl Scouts fared worse on measures of physical activity, positive emotions, negative emotions, anxiety, behavioral difficulties, and problematic media use. However, by using mixed models, we also found that, on average, Girl Scouts who spent more time interacting with nature fared less poorly (in this sense, “did better”) on measures of physical activity, positive emotions, anxiety, and behavioral difficulties, irrespective of the pandemic. Further analysis revealed that these advantageous associations were present even when accounting for the amount of nature near each child’s home (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index, percent of natural land cover, and self-reported access to nature). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating nature interaction and children’s well-being to use data collected from the same cohort prior to and during the pandemic. In addition, we discuss the importance of opportunities to interact with nature for children’s well-being during future periods of social upheaval.
Read moreNature and Children’s Health: A Systematic Review
The American Academy of Pediatrics has long recognized the importance of play and has encouraged outdoor play to promote children’s health and social-emotional development. Outdoor play environments vary widely, from urban parking lots to grass sports fields to wilderness. There is increasing evidence that outdoor play environments containing natural elements may offer health benefits that come specifically from engaging in the natural world. Recent studies have demonstrated that a broad range of outcomes are related to access to, and contact with nature, including increased physical activity, reduced obesity, decreased stress, and improved mental health. However, nature contact is not regularly experienced by all children because of urbanization, sedentary indoor lifestyles, and disparities in access to green space. Neighborhoods with more socioeconomically disadvantaged residents and families of color tend to have fewer nearby residential parks, and financial and transportation limitations that prevent access to parks and wilderness outside of city limits. This inequity extends to school grounds in low-income neighborhoods, which are less likely to have school gardens compared with schools in high-income neighborhoods. Furthermore, there is evidence that contact with nature and green space may disproportionately benefit disadvantaged populations by attenuating the toxic effects of poverty: the so-called “equigenic” effect. For these reasons, promoting nature contact and ensuring equitable access to green spaces could play a role in improving health outcomes and behaviors, and reducing health disparities. Pediatricians are uniquely positioned to offer guidance about evidence-informed interventions to promote child health during clinical interactions, and through community advocacy. Our goal was to conduct a systematic review to aggregate and evaluate the evidence regarding the effects of nature contact on children’s health, and to make it available to pediatric health care providers. Therefore, we explore the full breadth of quantitative evidence with a systematic literature search and consensus-based review process to make the evidence accessible on which to base clinical recommendations, health-promoting programs, and policies and to guide future research. Related News As Outdoor Preschools Gain Traction, States Work to Unlock Funding (January 27, 2023) Nature is Nurture: Outdoors are Key to Children’s Health, Buffer to Pandemic Stress (November 5, 2021) Children with access to nature are mentally and physically healthier (September 30, 2021) Science backs nature as key to children’s health (September 29, 2021)
Read moreNature at Work: The Effects of Day-to-Day Nature Contact on Workers’ Stress and Psychological Well-Being
Interior shot of the Spheres. Image source: AshlynG/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0 (G A, 2018). Objectives Chronic stress and burnout are key health issues for office workers that may contribute to a myriad of poor health outcomes. The presence of natural elements may improve psychological well-being in workers but the number of existing studies is relatively low, and more longitudinal research is specifically needed to assess how characteristics of workers’ day-to-day environments may impact mental health outcomes like affect, depression and stress. This report outlines a multi-study investigation of workers at Amazon, a multinational e-commerce company based in Seattle, Washington, USA, and the mental health benefits associated with exposure to nature. Methods In Study 1, participants (n = 153) responded to a cross-sectional survey that assessed the association of self-reported visitation to an indoor company greenspace with psychological well-being including symptoms of depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, and stress. In Study 2, a subset of participants from Study 1 (n = 33) completed multiple surveys in a 2-week period that assessed the association of the naturalness of their current environments with their state levels of psychological well-being. Results We found contact with more natural outdoor environments was significantly associated with reduced state anxiety, after adjusting for activity type, location, and participants’ trait levels of nature relatedness. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that nature contact in everyday life is significantly associated with decreased levels of state anxiety. More research is needed to investigate the role of nature contact as a potential intervention in the workplace for improved mental health.
Read moreHealth Benefits of Contact With Nature
Sara Perrins and Dr. Gregory Bratman of the University of Washington, College of Forest Resources, prepared this report for the Recreation and Conservation Office. This study was directed by the Washington State Legislature in Section 304 (3) of the 2018 operating budget, as stated: Section 304 (3) $125,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2019 is provided solely for the board to conduct or contract for a study of the economic and health benefits of trail-based activities, including hiking, walking, and bicycling. The information gathered will assist in decision-making regarding the allocation of dedicated resources and investment in Washington’s trail networks. Additionally, the information will aid in increasing and leveraging economic benefits in the development of public-private partnerships aimed at stewardship and growth connected to Washington’s trail networks. The study may include, but is not limited to, analysis of the number of people in the state who hike, bike, and walk annually, economic contribution, environmental and social benefits, and mental and physical health outcomes. The study may also include regional case studies. As appropriate, the analysis must incorporate data from the state comprehensive outdoor recreation plan and federal initiatives to integrate outdoor recreation into GDP accounting. To allow for a collaborative process, the board must create an advisory committee of appropriate agencies and stakeholders, including hiking and bicycling groups. The board must report the results of the study to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the legislature by October 1, 2019. This specific look at health effects and nature contact accompanies an economic study conducted by EcoNorthwest in 2019 titled Economic, Environmental, and Social Benefits of Recreation Trails in Washington State.
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