A study has shown that nature-based activities can significantly improve mental health, equating the benefits to those seen in cognitive behavioral therapy. Researchers call for more investment in green social prescribing programs.
Researchers at the University of York have revealed that nature-based activities can significantly improve mental health, with improvements in mood and anxiety observable within just 12 weeks.
The study, published in the journal Health & Social Care in the Community, evaluated over 220 participants in a green social prescribing program across Humber and North Yorkshire, highlighting the therapeutic potential of activities like gardening, care farming and outdoor mindfulness.
Green social prescribing involves referring patients to community-based nature activities to boost health and wellness. The UK government has been exploring this approach with seven “test and learn” sites across England. The site in Humber and North Yorkshire is the first to publish its results.
Peter Coventry, a professor of environment and mental health in the University of York’s Department of Health Sciences, emphasized the growing evidence supporting nature’s positive impact on mental health.
“We have known for some time that nature has a positive impact on health and wellbeing, but in more recent years, a stronger evidence-base has grown that proves this to be true for mental health in particular,” Coventry, who’s also a director of the University’s Mental Health and Addiction Research Group, said in a news release.
Participants who engaged in longer programs of nature-based activities, especially those involving horticulture and care farming, showed marked improvements in mood and anxiety levels. These improvements were comparable to those seen in short-term cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Coventry notes the importance of meaningful interaction with nature and shared activities.
“The fact that activities such as gardening, tending allotments and care farming had the most impact on the participants in our study showed that it is not just about being passive in nature, but connecting with it in a meaningful way,” he added.
The study, conducted in partnership with The HEY Smile Foundation and NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, was part of a national cross-government project managed by DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the UK).
The positive effects were consistent across all age groups (18-85) and genders, prompting researchers to call for increased investment in community-based nature activities.
Trish Darcy, a research associate from the University’s Mental Health and Addiction Research Group, highlighted the potential of nature-based activities tailored to individual needs.
“This intervention might not work for everyone, but through an initial exploratory conversation a social prescriber will discuss with a patient or user of the service if nature-based activities would be suited to them, and for that choice to happen we need more investment to support these community-based activities,” she added.
The program also exhibited high participation rates among individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with horticulture-based activities being particularly popular.
“In our study, 65% of participants were from low socioeconomic groups and we now know that not only can it help improve their mental health, but participation was high for horticultural-based activities in particular, meaning that not only is it good for the individual, but for the local community environment too,” Darcy added.
Anthony Hurd, Humber and North Yorkshire Green Social Prescribing Programme Manager, emphasized the role of community organizations in this health care paradigm shift.
“This work has not only shown the positive outcomes that nature-based activities have on mental health, it has also highlighted the role that community-based organizations play in supporting the health and wellbeing of communities,” he said. “As healthcare begins to move more into the community, and with a focus on prevention, the community-based organizations delivering activities such as gardening, care farming and walking groups need to be recognized as key players in our national health service and be resourced appropriately.”
Source: University of York