Mechanisms of Children’s Exposure to Nature: Predicting Adulthood Environmental Citizenship and Commitment to Nature-Based Activities

Asah, Stanley T.; Βengston, David Ν.; Westphal, Lynne M.; Gowan, Catherine H.

doi:10.1177/0013916517718021

Cited by 67 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…)—is a key to engaging in pro‐environmental behaviour as an adult (e.g. Asah et al, 2018; Chawla, 1999; James et al., 2010). Findings from the current study regarding the importance of how one spends their time in nature also parallels research results, noted previously, evidencing that experiential contact with nature tends to result in a deep concern for nature, influencing people to actively care for the environment (Bendt et al, 2013; Collado et al, 2013; Kane & Kane, 2011; Teisl & O'Brien, 2003; Zaradic et al., 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The green care code: How nature connectedness and simple activities help explain pro‐nature conservation behaviours

et al. 2020

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The biodiversity crisis demands greater engagement in pro‐nature conservation behaviours. Research has examined factors which account for general pro‐environmental behaviour; that is, behaviour geared to minimizing one's impact on the environment. Yet, a dearth of research exists examining factors that account for pro‐nature conservation behaviour specifically—behaviour that directly and actively supports conservation of biodiversity. This study is the first of its kind to use a validated scale of pro‐nature conservation behaviour. Using online data from a United Kingdom population survey of 1,298 adults (16+ years), we examined factors (composed of nine variable‐blocks of items) that accounted for pro‐nature conservation behaviour. These were: individual characteristics (demographics, nature connectedness), nature experiences (time spent in nature, engaging with nature through simple activities, indirect engagement with nature), knowledge and attitudes (knowledge/study of nature, valuing and concern for nature) and pro‐environmental behaviour. Together, these explained 70% of the variation in people's actions for nature. Importantly, in a linear regression examining the relative importance of these variables to the prediction of pro‐nature conservation behaviour, time in nature did not emerge as significant. Engaging in simple nature activities (which is related to nature connectedness) emerged as the largest significant contributor to pro‐nature conservation behaviour. Commonality analysis revealed that variables worked together, with nature connectedness and engagement in simple activities being involved in the largest portion of explained variance. Overall, findings from the current study reinforce the critical role that having a close relationship with nature through simple everyday engagement plays in pro‐nature conservation behaviour. Policy recommendations are made. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The green care code: How nature connectedness and simple activities help explain pro‐nature conservation behaviours

et al. 2020

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“…Utilizing nature relatedness scales opens up a door to provider-patient discourse on possible routes to health and vitality (determining how much active/passive time a patient spends in the outdoors, and the writing of "Green Prescriptions" [124][125][126]); since nature relatedness is also associated with pro-environmental and pro-social attitudes and behaviors-likely because experience in/with the natural world promotes concern for planetary health [127][128][129][130]-assessments allow for discussions concerning a collective "treatment" of personal and global problems, actively engaging both clinician and patient in planetary health [131]. Clinicians now have an opportunity to track nature relatedness with functional aspects of health.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Ecology—Transforming 21st-Century Medicine with Planetary Health in Mind

Nelson¹,

Prescott

Logan³

et al. 2019

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Four decades ago, several health movements were sprouting in isolation. In 1980, the environmental group Friends of the Earth expanded the World Health Organization definition of health, reminding citizenry that, “health is a state of complete physical, mental, social and ecological well-being and not merely the absence of disease—personal health involves planetary health”. At the same time, a small group of medical clinicians were voicing the concept of “clinical ecology”—that is, a perspective that sees illness, especially chronic illness, as a response to the total lived experience and the surroundings in which “exposures” accumulate. In parallel, other groups advanced the concept of holistic medicine. In 1977, the progressive physician-scientist Jonas Salk stated that “we are entering into a new Epoch in which holistic medicine will be the dominant model”. However, only recently have the primary messages of these mostly isolated movements merged into a unified interdisciplinary discourse. The grand, interconnected challenges of our time—an epidemic of non-communicable diseases, global socioeconomic inequalities, biodiversity losses, climate change, disconnect from the natural environment—demands that all of medicine be viewed from an ecological perspective. Aided by advances in ‘omics’ technology, it is increasingly clear that each person maintains complex, biologically-relevant microbial ecosystems, and those ecosystems are, in turn, a product of the lived experiences within larger social, political, and economic ecosystems. Recognizing that 21st-century medicine is, in fact, clinical ecology can help clear an additional path as we attempt to exit the Anthropocene.

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“…Increased time spent outdoors has also been associated with decreased levels of obesity through increased physical activity [19][20][21]. It has also been proposed that nature contact may aid learning and improve social connections [22]. Because adults often facilitate youth's leisure activities through school and family activities [23], nature contact may improve social connectedness and support at school and at home with family.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Health-related Quality of Life in Minority Youth through Environmental Education and Nature Contact

2019

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Few studies have examined the relationship between environmental sustainability education and health outcomes in youth. The purpose of this study was to examine health-related quality of life over a 13-week time period in a sample of urban minority youth who participated in an environmental education program with a nature contact component. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using a survey comprising five items (physical activity, emotional functioning, school functioning, family support, and social functioning). The overall HRQoL score was determined as the sum of the scores on the five items, with higher scores indicating better HRQoL. A pre-test/post-test within-subjects study design was used to evaluate changes in HRQoL. A total of 53 students (ages 10 to 14 years) participated in the environmental education intervention; 46 (87%) of those students completed HRQoL questionnaires before and after the program. There were statistically significant improvements in overall HRQoL scores and in the family support HRQoL domain scores. Engaging in the natural environment through environmental education may promote HRQoL in youth. Larger, prospective studies are warranted to further investigate these initial findings.

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Mechanisms of Children’s Exposure to Nature: Predicting Adulthood Environmental Citizenship and Commitment to Nature-Based Activities

Cited by 67 publications

References 47 publications

The green care code: How nature connectedness and simple activities help explain pro‐nature conservation behaviours

The green care code: How nature connectedness and simple activities help explain pro‐nature conservation behaviours

Clinical Ecology—Transforming 21st-Century Medicine with Planetary Health in Mind

Promoting Health-related Quality of Life in Minority Youth through Environmental Education and Nature Contact

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