Spending time with nature reduces health problems, says study
Posted on: 25/Jun/2016 11:35:07 AM
A study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports has said that people who visit parks for 30 minutes or more each week are much less likely to have high blood pressure or poor mental health than those who do not. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland, or UQ, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, or CEED.
Say the researchers, People might need a minimum dose of nature. Parks offer health benefits including reduced risks of developing heart disease, stress, anxiety and depression. If everyone visited their local parks for half an hour each week there would be seven per cent fewer cases of depression and nine per cent fewer cases of high blood pressure. Given that the societal costs of depression alone in Australia are estimated at 12.6 billion dollars a year, savings to public health budgets across all health outcomes could be immense. The research could transform the way people viewed urban parks. We`ve known for a long time that visiting parks is good for our health, but we are now beginning to establish exactly how much time we need to spend in parks to gain these benefits. We have specific evidence that we need regular visits of at least half an hour to ensure we get these benefits.
