Database

The articles in the database below represent a curated selection from our NHA (full) members and Executive Committee. Rather than being a comprehensive database, like what you would find on a mainstream database, this is a limited and curated list of articles gathered by our member. To be included, these peer-reviewed articles and resources must meet specific criteria, ensuring a foundation of quality. Articles included cover a diverse array of study types—experiments, qualitative research, and meta-analyses—all exploring the intricate relationship between nature and well-being. Priority is accorded to works addressing DEIJ matters or fostering consensus on vital topics. If you would like to submit an article to be featured in the database, please email manager@naturehealthalliance.org

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Research Brief

Air Pollution is Linked To More Hospital Days & Higher Cost of Care

Hospital length of stay (LOS) is often used as a proxy for healthcare cost in the United States. This study investigates the association between outdoor air pollution and LOS among pediatric asthma patients. Air pollution data was collected from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data on hospitalizations and air pollution were analyzed and show that air pollution was significantly associated with prolonged LOS.

Research Article

Association between Ambient Air Pollution and Hospital Length of Stay among Children with Asthma in South Texas

Authors:Juha Baek, Bita Kash, Xiaohui Xu, Mark Benden, Jon Roberts and Genny Carrillo | | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | Volume 17, Issue 11: 3812

Although hospital length of stay (LOS) has been identified as a proxy measure of healthcare expenditures in the United States, there are limited studies investigating the potentially important association between outdoor air pollution and LOS for pediatric asthma.

Research Article

Research Note: Residential distance and recreational visits to coastal and inland blue spaces in eighteen countries

Authors:Lewis R. Elliott, Mathew P. White, James Grellier, Joanne K. Garrett, Marta Cirach, Benedict W. Wheeler, Gregory N. Bratman, Matilda A. van den Bosch, Ann Ojala, Anne Roiko, Maria L. Lima, Aisling O'Connor, Mireia Gascon, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen and Lora E. Fleming | | Landscape and Urban Planning | Volume 198 (June 2020): 103800

Varied categorisations of residential distance to bluespace in population health studies make comparisons difficult. Using survey data from eighteen countries, we modelled relationships between residential distance to blue spaces (coasts, lakes, and rivers), and self-reported recreational visits to these environments at least weekly, with penalised regression splines.

Research Article

Multiple conceptualizations of nature are key to inclusivity and legitimacy in global environmental governance

Authors:Luca Coscieme, Håkon da Silva Hyldmo, Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares, Ignacio Palomo, Tuyeni H. Mwampamba, Odirilwe Selomane, Nadia Sitas, Pedro Jaureguiberry, Yasuo Takahashi, Michelle Lim and Maria P. Barral | | Environmental Science & Policy | Volume 104: 36-42

Despite increasing scientific understanding of the global environmental crisis, we struggle to adopt the policies science suggests would be effective.

Research Article

Greening Blocks: A Conceptual Typology of Practical Design Interventions to Integrate Health and Climate Resilience Co-Benefits

Authors:Sara Barron, Sophie Nitoslawski, Kathleen L. Wolf, Angie Woo, Erin Desautels and Stephen R. J. Sheppard | | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | Volume 16, Issue 21: 4241

It is increasingly evident that exposure to green landscape elements benefits human health.

Research Article

Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective

Authors:Gregory N. Bratman, Christopher B. Anderson, Marc G. Berman, Bobby Cochran, Sjerp de Vries, Jon Flanders, Carl Folke, Howard Frumkin, James J. Gross, Terry Hartig, Peter H. Kahn Jr., Ming Kuo, Joshua J. Lawler, Phillip S. Levin, Therese Lindahl, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Richard Mitchell, Zhiyun Ouyang, Jenny Roe, Lynn Scarlett, Jeffrey R. Smith, Matilda A. van den Bosch, Benedict W. Wheeler, Mathew P. White, Hua Zheng and Gretchen C. Daily | | Science Advances | Volume 5, Issue 7

A growing body of empirical evidence is revealing the value of nature experience for mental health. With rapid urbanization and declines in human contact with nature globally, crucial decisions must be made about how to preserve and enhance opportunities for nature experience.

Research Article

Mental, physical and social health benefits of immersive nature-experience for children and adolescents: A systematic review and quality assessment of the evidence

Authors:Lærke Mygind, Eva Kjeldsted, Rikke Hartmeyer, Erik Mygind, Mads Bølling and Peter Bentsen | | Health & Place | Volume 58

In this systematic review, we summarised and evaluated the evidence for benefits of immersive nature-experience on children and adolescents' mental, physical and social health.

Research Article

Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing

Authors:Mathew P. White, Ian Alcock, James Grellier, Benedict W. Wheeler, Terry Hartig, Sara L. Warber, Angie Bone, Michael H. Depledge and Lora E. Fleming | | Scientific Reports | Scientific Reports: 7730

Spending time in natural environments can benefit health and well-being, but exposure-response relationships are under-researched.

Report

Riquezas de la Naturaleza: Los beneficios económicos y en la salud de vivir de cerca de la naturaleza.

Author: Kathleen L. Wolf |

Para mejorar su salud, la gente decide ir al gimnasio o comer comida orgánica pero ¿qué tal simplemente sentarse bajo un árbol?

Research Article

Are California Elementary School Test Scores More Strongly Associated With Urban Trees Than Poverty?

Authors:Heather Tallis, Gregory N. Bratman, Jameal F. Samhouri and Joseph Fargione | | Frontiers in Psychology | Volume 9: 2074

Unprecedented rates of urbanization are changing our understanding of the ways in which children build connections to the natural world, including the importance of educational settings in affecting this relationship.

Research Article

The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes

Authors:Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett and Andy Jones | | Environmental Research | Volume 166: 628-637

The health benefits of greenspaces have demanded the attention of policymakers since the 1800s.

Report

Cascading Benefits: Designing Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Human Wellness

Author: Kathleen L. Wolf |

This report provides a new perspective that merges recent innovations: nature for water management and nature for human health.

Report

Nearby nature—A cost-effective prescription for better community health?

Authors: Andrea Watts, Kathleen L. Wolf, Stephen C. Grado and Marcus Measells |

A balanced diet and regular exercise are fundamental for good health, and a daily dose of nature may be equally important. Nearly 40 years of research has demonstrated that “metro nature”—nature found in urban environments, such as parks or tree-lined streets—provides positive and measurable health benefits and improves people’s quality of life.

Research Article

Nature Contact and Human Health: A Research Agenda

Authors:Howard Frumkin, Gregory N. Bratman, Sara Jo Breslow, Bobby Cochran, Peter H. Kahn Jr., Joshua J. Lawler, Phillip S. Levin, Pooja Tandon, Usha Varanasi, Kathleen L. Wolf and Spencer A. Wood | | Environmental Health Perspectives | Volume 125, Issue 7 (July 2017): 075001

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.

Report

Nature’s Riches: The Health and Financial Benefits of Nearby Nature

Author: Kathleen L. Wolf |

People can make choices to improve personal health, such as going to the gym or eating organic food, but what about just sitting under a tree?

Research Article

Observational Park-based physical activity studies: A systematic review of the literature

Authors:Rodney P. Joseph and Jay E. Maddock | | Preventive Medicine | Volume 89: 257–277

This article reports the outcomes of a systematic review of observational park-based physical activity (PA) studies.

Report

Outside our Doors: the benefits of cities where people and nature thrive

Authors: Erin House, Caitlyn Bay O'Connor, Kathleen L. Wolf, Jessie Israel and Tashina Reynolds |

We are pleased and honored to introduce this milestone report from The Nature Conservancy. The authors have worked carefully to present a comprehensive analysis of current evidence on how our human communities need nature in and around them to thrive. This report presents a panoramic view of how our cities and towns benefit from nature—on the streets, next to schools and hospitals, outside our windows; everywhere people are, we can benefit from nature.

Report

Sites To Systems: Nearby Nature for Human Health

Authors: Kathleen L. Wolf and Weston Brinkley |

Nearly forty years of research confirms that contact with nearby nature is profoundly important for human health and wellness. 

Report

The Benefits of Nearby Nature in Cities for Older Adults

Authors: Kathleen L. Wolf and Elizabeth Housley |

How can we promote improved health and wellness for elders? For older adults, generally defined here as people who are 60 or older, the health benefits of being near urban green spaces can play a meaningful role in wellness and quality of life.

Report

The Sacred and Nearby Nature in Cities

Authors: Kathleen L. Wolf and Elizabeth Housley |

This report is designed to introduce vocabulary, understanding, and research evidence that supports the idea of small ‘s’, or civic sacred in communities.