Just What the Doctor Ordered: Using Parks to Improve Children’s Health
Nate Seltenrich covers science and the environment from Petaluma, CA. His work has appeared in High Country News, Sierra, Yale Environment 360, Earth Island Journal, and other regional and national publications.
Background image: ©ooyo/iStockphoto
About This Article open
Citation: Seltenrich N. 2015. Just what the doctor ordered: using parks to improve children’s health. Environ Health Perspect 123:A254–A259; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.123-A254
News Topics: Children’s Health, Climate Change, Green Spaces, Mental Health, Neurologic Health, Noise Pollution, Obesity, Recreation
Published: 1 October 2015
PDF Version (1.8 MB)
“Park prescriptions” are gaining popularity as researchers learn more about the benefits of spending time in nature. There’s more to learn, however, about the ways in which nature imparts these benefits and the “dose” of nature required to achieve them.
© Wave Royalty Free/Photo Researchers, Inc
For children today, time spent outdoors is becoming more of a luxury—or in some cases, a chore—than a staple. In recent years “nature deficit disorder” among kids has evolved from a turn of phrase1 to a cultural indictment.2,3 Smartphones and other screens are increasingly vying for kids’ attention,4 but blame lies elsewhere, too: just as recess is being reduced or phased out in many schools, children’s activities are being increasingly structured and scheduled, and concerns over neighborhood crime and ...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Web Admin Tags: Featured Focus News Children's Health Climate Change Green Spaces Mental Health Neurologic Health Noise Pollution Obesity October 2015 Recreation Source Type: research
More News: Academies | ADHD | Allergy | Allergy & Immunology | American Health | Anxiety | Asthma | Blogging | Cambridge University | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | Chemistry | Child Development | Children | Clinical Trials | Computers | Conferences | Databases & Libraries | Depression | Diabetes | Eating Disorders & Weight Management | Electronic Medical Records (EMR) | Endocrinology | Environmental Health | Epidemiology | Funding | Government | Grants | Harvard | Health | Health Management | Hospital Management | Hospitals | Hyperactivity | Insurance | Insurers | International Medicine & Public Health | Laboratory Medicine | Learning | Life Insurance | Men | Myopia (short sighted) | National Institute for Health and Clinical Excelle | Neurology | Neuroscience | Obesity | Occupational Health | Opthalmology | Partnerships | Pediatrics | Postnatal Depression | Pregnancy | Primary Care | Psychology | Science | Sleep Disorders | Sleep Medicine | Sports Medicine | Statistics | Students | Study | Toxicology | Uninsured | Universities & Medical Training | Websites | Women | Workshops | Yale