Julie Dean

Health Benefits from Nature Experiences Depend on Dose

Nature within cities will have a central role in helping address key global public health challenges associated with urbanization. However, there is almost no guidance on how much or how frequently people need to engage with nature, and what types or characteristics of nature need to be incorporated in cities for the best health outcomes. Here we use a nature dose framework to examine the associations between the duration, frequency and intensity of exposure to nature and health in an urban population. We show that people who made long visits to green spaces had lower rates of depression and high blood pressure, and those who visited more frequently had greater social cohesion. Higher levels of physical activity were linked to both duration and frequency of green space visits. A dose-response analysis for depression and high blood pressure suggest that visits to outdoor green spaces of 30 minutes or more during the course of a week could reduce the population prevalence of these illnesses by up to 7% and 9% respectively. Given that the societal costs of depression alone in Australia are estimated at AUD

Toward Improved Public Health Outcomes From Urban Nature

12.6 billion per annum, savings to public health budgets across all health outcomes could be immense.

The Building Partnerships Program: An Approach to Community-Based Learning for Medical Students in Australia

There is mounting concern for the health of urban populations as cities expand at an unprecedented rate. Urban green spaces provide settings for a remarkable range of physical and mental health benefits, and pioneering health policy is recognizing nature as a cost-effective tool for planning healthy cities. Despite this, limited information on how specific elements of nature deliver health outcomes restricts its use for enhancing population health. We articulate a framework for identifying direct and indirect causal pathways through which nature delivers health benefits, and highlight current evidence. We see a need for a bold new research agenda founded on testing causality that transcends disciplinary boundaries between ecology and health. This will lead to cost-effective and tailored solutions that could enhance population health and reduce health inequalities.

Supporting parents following pregnancy loss: a cross-sectional study of telephone peer supporters.

Abstract The Building Partnerships Program at the University of Queensland, Australia seeks to address the dual challenge of preparing doctors who are responsive to the community while providing a meaningful context for social sciences learning. Through partnerships with a diverse range of community agencies, the program offers students opportunities to gain non-clinical perspectives on health and illness through structured learning activities including: family visits; community agency visits and attachments; and interview training. Students learn first-hand about psychosocial influences on health and how people manage health problems on a day-to-day basis. They also gain insights into the work of community agencies and how they as future doctors might work in partnership with them to enhance patient care. We outline the main components of the program, identify challenges and successes from student and community agency perspectives, and consider areas that invite further development.

Increasing access to consumer health organisations among patients with chronic disease - a randomised trial of a print-based intervention

BackgroundThe death of a baby before or soon after birth can place an enormous psychological toll on parents. Parent support groups have grown in response to bereaved parents’ unmet needs for support. Peer support is the hallmark of these organisations but little is known about the experiences of volunteers who provide support. This study examines the perceptions and experiences of parent support group volunteers who deliver a 24-h telephone support service for the Australian Stillbirth and Newborn Death Support (Sands) organisation in order to inform the ongoing development and sustainability of effective peer support. This parent-led organisation has delivered support to those affected by miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death for more than 30 years.MethodsTwenty-four Parent Supporters completed an online questionnaire. A mix of open- and closed questions asked about aspects of the Parent Supporter role. Quantitative data was summarised using descriptive statistics. Free-text responses to open-ended items were categorised and used to extend and illustrate the quantitative findings.ResultsOur findings reveal a group of highly dedicated and experienced volunteers who had taken 473 calls in the preceding 12 months. Calls were diverse but most were from bereaved mothers seeking ‘to talk with someone who understands’ in the early weeks and months after stillbirth or miscarriage. Most Parent Supporters indicated they felt well-prepared, confident, and satisfied in their role. Challenges include balancing the demands of the role and ongoing training and support.ConclusionsPeer volunteers contribute to addressing a significant need for support following pregnancy loss. Delivering and sustaining high quality parent-led support depends on volunteer recruitment and retention and this, in turn, requires organisational responses.

Is Nature Relatedness Associated with Better Mental and Physical Health

AIM To assess whether a print-based intervention led to increased contact with consumer health organisations (CHOs) by general practice patients with chronic disease. BACKGROUND CHOs can enhance peoples capacity to manage chronic illness by providing information, education and psychosocial support. However, these organisations appear to be grossly under-utilised by patients and clinicians. METHODS A total of 276 patients completed a computer-assisted telephone interview before randomisation to an intervention (n = 141) or control (n = 135) group. The intervention consisted of mailed printed materials designed to encourage contact with a CHO relevant to the patients main diagnosed chronic condition. Follow-up interviews were conducted 4 and 12 months later. FINDINGS Patients with conditions other than diabetes who received the intervention were twice as likely as those in the control group to contact a consumer health organisation during the 12-month study period: 41% versus 21% (P < 0.001). No such effect was found for diabetes patients, probably because of pre-existing high levels of contact with diabetes organisations. The intervention package received strong patient endorsement. Low-intensity interventions may be effective in improving access to CHOs for patients with chronic disease.

A multi-level ecological model of psychotropic prescribing to adults with intellectual disability

Nature relatedness is a psychological characteristic with the potential to drive interaction with nature and influence well-being. We surveyed 1538 people in Brisbane, Australia to investigate how nature relatedness varies among socio-demographic groups. We determined whether people with higher nature relatedness reported fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and better overall health, controlling for potentially confounding socio-demographic and health-related variables. Overall nature relatedness was higher in older people, females, those without children living at home, not working, and people speaking English at home. Aspects of nature relatedness reflecting enjoyment of nature were consistently associated with reduced ill health, consistent with widespread evidence of the health and well-being benefits of experiencing nature. In contrast, aspects of nature relatedness reflecting self-identification with nature, and a conservation worldview, were associated with increased depression, anxiety or stress, after accounting for potential confounding factors. Detailed investigation of causal pathways among nature relatedness, socio-demographic factors and health is warranted, with particular focus on the relationship between stress and nature orientation.

Differences and similarities between government and community environmental organisations: A study in South East Queensland

Purpose – Simple linear accounts of prescribing do not adequately address reasons “why” doctors prescribe psychotropic medication to people with intellectual disability (ID). Greater understanding of the complex array of factors that influence decisions to prescribe is needed. Design/methodology/approach – After consideration of a number of conceptual frameworks that have potential to better understand prescribing of psychotropic medication to adults with ID, an ecological model of prescribing was developed. A case study is used to outline how the model can provide greater understanding of prescribing processes. Findings – The model presented aims to consider the complexity and multi-dimensional nature of community-based psychotropic prescribing to adults with ID. The utility of the model is illustrated through a consideration of the case study. Research limitations/implications – The model presented is conceptual and is as yet untested. Practical implications – The model presented aims to capture the complexity and multi-dimensional nature of community-based psychotropic prescribing to adults with ID. The model may provide utility for clinicians and researchers as they seek clarification of prescribing decisions. Originality/value – The paper adds valuable insight into factors influencing psychotropic prescribing to adults with ID. The ecological model of prescribing extends traditional analysis that focuses on patient characteristics and introduces multi-level perspectives that may provide utility for clinicians and researchers.

Does biodiversity improve mental health in urban settings

Environmental organisations have key contributions to make in addressing global environmental degradation and fostering socially and ecologically sustainable societies. However, knowledge about the diverse ways that they contribute to these processes is under-developed. This article investigates the goal orientations and outcomes of 303 community and government sector environmental organisations within South-East Queensland, Australia. Organisations reported a broad range of outcomes including conservation, institution change, knowledge transfer, organisational development and socio-cultural change. There was evidence of substantial difficulties and challenges in their work to modify social institutions, and overlap and blurring between community and government sectors. These findings have implications for harnessing synergistic and diverse organisational resources in ways that best promote environmental care across social institutions, settings and populations.