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Dr. Nooshin Razani, pediatrician at the University of California. The Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland, Calif., Has begun prescribing time away from patients who come from low-income backgrounds. She often leads group outings in recreational areas near the East Bay Regional Park District.
"When you go to a park with your family, so many good things happen," said Dr. Razani. "Children play and are physically active. They have the opportunity to socialize and relieve their stress. Adults enjoy the same benefits, she added.
It is difficult to determine the exact cause of these health benefits. Does outdoor activity encourage physical activity? Does something that gets you off the couch and screens improve your health? Or are healthier and happier people just more likely to spend time outdoors?
"Most studies like this one are transversal, so they only cover a point in time," Carla Nooijen, researcher at the Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences in Stockholm, whose research has focused on the effects of natural environments. Following habits and answers over a period of time can help highlight possible mechanisms, she said.
Yet the prescriptions of nature are gaining popularity. In Sweden, friluftsliv, the term to live near nature, is so rooted in everyday life – Cycling trips to relaxing lakeside saunas – Tax breaks are offered as lifestyle incentives. In South Korea, the government is setting up dozens of "healing forests" for its stressed citizens. And last year, NHS Shetland, a national hospital system in Scotland, began allowing doctors at some medical offices to write scripts for outdoor activities as part of routine patient care.
The last study is an important first step towards the development of concrete guidelines for the prescriptions of nature, it's related to the guidelines for weekly exercise. (The current weekly recommendation for US adults is at least 150 minutes of moderate activity, 75 minutes of vigorous activity or a combination of both.)
"This study will help clinicians like me to better counsel patients", Said Dr. Razani. And, she added, it provides a realistic goal that most people can reach. Low cost and low risk, that's what the doctor prescribed.
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