Database

This study reviews existing research on nature prescription programs—initiatives where healthcare providers recommend outdoor activities to improve health. The authors analyzed 11 studies, including 8 empirical ones, focusing on program formats, target populations, health outcomes, and implementation methods. These programs often aim to help high-risk children and families and involve referrals to parks or organized outdoor activities. While early findings suggest potential benefits, the evidence is limited and inconsistent. Most research focuses on improving patient adherence, with mixed results. More studies are needed to evaluate health impacts and understand both patient and provider engagement.

Nature prescription programs have emerged to address the high burden of chronic disease and increasingly sedentary and screen-based lifestyles.

Walk with a Doc focuses on bringing physician-led enthusiasm into our communities by organizing regular doctor-led walks in the outdoors; as well as Walk with a Future Doc, which encourages medical students to start their own Walk with a Doc programs.

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.

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.

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.

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

This article highlights the health and climate benefits of urban green spaces and emphasizes the need for evidence-based strategies to design and manage them effectively. It presents eight practical green space interventions—such as enhancing views, planting near entrances, and optimizing green infrastructure—that integrate human health and climate resilience at the neighborhood and block levels. These interventions address both psychological and physical well-being and aim to strengthen community resilience, while also identifying gaps for future research in green space design.

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

As cities grow and nature retreats from daily life, new research highlights how vital contact with nature is for our mental well-being. This work brings together insights from science and health to show nature’s impact on the mind—and offers a new framework for making mental health part of how we value ecosystems.

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.

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.

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

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

Poor mental health carries significant economic costs, yet prevention efforts remain underfunded. This article explores how economic evidence can strengthen the case for investing in mental health prevention and highlights promising areas for action and investment across the life course.

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.

Rural poverty and lack of access to education has led to urban migration and fed the constant growth of urban slums in Lima, Peru. Inhabitants of these informal settlements lack land rights and access to a public water supply, resulting in poor sanitation, an inability to grow food, and suboptimal health outcomes. Improved access to green space in the form of a household garden can significantly improve mental health in an urban slum setting.

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

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

Bees do more than just pollinate; they play a crucial role in global food security, medicine, soil health, and cultural traditions. This study identifies ten key bee species, both wild and managed, and explores the wide range of ecosystem services they provide. It reveals how these small insects have a significant impact on human well-being and outlines important areas for future research.