Trends and Knowledge Gaps in the Study of Nature-Based Participation by Latinos in the United States

There’s growing evidence that spending time in nature is good for people’s health and well-being. But research has also made something else clear: not everyone has the same access to nature. Race and class play a big role in who gets to experience its benefits.

A team of researchers took a close look at the existing studies on nature contact among Latinos in the United States, one of the country’s fastest-growing ethnic groups. Their goal was to figure out what’s known, what’s missing, and what kind of research could help close the health gap.

The team reviewed 108 articles and found that interest in the topic has grown steadily over the last 30 years. But the research has some significant gaps. Most studies focus on adults living in cities, with few studies on children, seniors, and people in rural areas.

The review also revealed that the field is heavily siloed. Studies tend to cluster around narrow, non-overlapping topics. For example, about a third of the studies looked at health outcomes, but those same studies rarely explored other important factors like cultural connection, social dynamics, or economic barriers. And fewer than 7 percent of the studies examined actual programs or interventions designed to increase nature access.

Given how much potential nature has to improve health and well-being, the researchers argue that there’s a real need for more multidisciplinary work. Future studies should look at how social, cultural, and economic factors interact — and how those forces shape whether Latinos in the U.S. can experience nature and benefit from it.

Abstract

Mounting evidence supports health and well-being benefits associated with nature experiences, while also highlighting race- and class-based inequalities in access and exposure. We synthesized the literature on nature contact by Latinos in the United States to assess the state of knowledge and strategically identify research needs to improve outcomes and reduce health disparities for this rapidly growing ethnic group. Our systematic review revealed 108 articles with a notable increase in number of papers over the past 3 decades. We noted that the body of research is focused on certain demographic targets (adults in urban areas) with a relative dearth of knowledge for others (children, seniors, and rural areas). Our analysis also revealed strong compartmentalizing of studies into research “clusters” based on nonoverlapping topics and types of outcomes that are measured. Although one-third of studies explored health outcomes, these studies rarely examined other outcomes or research topics. Moreover, less than 7% of studies reported on interventions. Given the potential for nature contact to enhance health and well-being, there is substantial need for multidisciplinary research that explores interactions between social, cultural, and economic factors, and how those ultimately relate to nature contact and outcomes for Latinos in the United States.