Quantifying Nature: Introducing NatureScore™ and NatureDose™ as Health Analysis and Promotion Tools

Abstract

Humanity is undergoing a monumental shift. People have rapidly moved from a largely natural, outdoor existence to life in built, urban settings. Most places where people live and work differ dramatically from the ones we occupied for 99.9% of human history, and our current surroundings often physically separate us from the natural world. Most people—over half globally and approximately 4 in 5 in the United States—now live in urban areas,1 where nearby nature exposure tends to be limited2 and unequally distributed across socioeconomic and racial/ethnic subgroups.3-6 Adults in higher-income countries spend 80%-90% of their lives sedentary and indoors,7-9 with 6 to 8 hours or more spent each day looking at screens.10-12 The same is increasingly true for our developing youth,10,13,14 who may experience poorer health across their life span as a result.15