Nature Contact and Human Health: A Research Agenda

At a time of increasing disconnectedness from nature, scientific interest in the potential health benefits of nature contact has grown. Research in recent decades has yielded substantial evidence, but large gaps remain in our understanding. We propose a research agenda on nature contact and health,...

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Published inEnvironmental health perspectives Vol. 125; no. 7; p. 075001
Main Authors Frumkin, Howard, Bratman, Gregory N., Breslow, Sara Jo, Cochran, Bobby, Kahn Jr, Peter H., Lawler, Joshua J., Levin, Phillip S., Tandon, Pooja S., Varanasi, Usha, Wolf, Kathleen L., Wood, Spencer A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 01.07.2017
Environmental Health Perspectives
Subjects
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Children & youth
Environmental Health
Epidemiology
Health aspects
Health promotion
Human-environment interactions
Humans
Humans and nature
Mental health
Nature
Outdoor air quality
Outdoor recreation
Public Health
United States
United States
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Summary:At a time of increasing disconnectedness from nature, scientific interest in the potential health benefits of nature contact has grown. Research in recent decades has yielded substantial evidence, but large gaps remain in our understanding. We propose a research agenda on nature contact and health, identifying principal domains of research and key questions that, if answered, would provide the basis for evidence-based public health interventions. We identify research questions in seven domains: ) mechanistic biomedical studies; ) exposure science; ) epidemiology of health benefits; ) diversity and equity considerations; ) technological nature; ) economic and policy studies; and ) implementation science. Nature contact may offer a range of human health benefits. Although much evidence is already available, much remains unknown. A robust research effort, guided by a focus on key unanswered questions, has the potential to yield high-impact, consequential public health insights. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1663.
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ISSN:0091-6765
1552-9924
1552-9924
DOI:10.1289/EHP1663