scholarly journals Evidence for Designing Health Promoting Pocket Parks

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Kragsig Peschardt ◽  
Ulrika Karlsson Stigsdotter
Keyword(s):  
Noise Level ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
City Area ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

The use of urban green environments has repeatedly been associated with improved health and well-being for people living in cities. This study focuses on the health promoting potential of pocket parks in the dense city area of Copenhagen. A natural experiment was conducted, which evaluated one pocket park, Dantes Plads, before and after a redesign. Six people were interviewed about their perception of the change. First of all, the results show that Dantes Plads is primarily used for ‘rest and restitution’. Furthermore, the interviewees prefer to have the presence of sun, shade and planting in relation to rest and restitution, while varied ‘terrain’ may create fascination thereby providing the opportunity for restoration. ‘Noise level’ is perceived differently from subject to subject, while ‘benches’ as well as ‘visual angels’ should not be oriented directly towards disturbing surroundings. The findings add to existing knowledge on the design of health promoting pocket parks for ‘rest and restitution’ in dense city areas.

scholarly journals The Value of Urban Nature in Terms of Providing Ecosystem Services Related to Health and Well-Being: An Empirical Comparative Pilot Study of Cities in Germany and the Czech Republic

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Ralf-Uwe Syrbe ◽  
Ina Neumann ◽  
Karsten Grunewald ◽  
Patrycia Brzoska ◽  
Jiři Louda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Urban Nature ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

The quality of life in our cities critically depends on the intelligent planning and shaping of urban living space, in particular urban nature. By providing a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), urban nature essentially contributes to the well-being of city dwellers and plays a major role in avoiding common diseases through its positive impact on physical and mental health. Health is one of the most important factors underlying human welfare and is, thus, vital to sustainable development. The ES of urban green space provide other social-cultural functions alongside public health, for example by fostering environmental justice and citizenship participation. Thus, they should always be considered when searching for solutions to urban problems. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of green areas in three selected cities on the health and well-being of people by self-reporting of green areas’ visitors. To this end, we posed the research question: which types and characteristics of urban green space are most appreciated by city dwellers? Based on our findings, we have drawn up recommendations for practices to promote better living conditions. We have also pinpointed obstacles to and opportunities for leisure time activities as well as ways of supporting the public health of citizens.

scholarly journals Perceived Sensory Dimensions of Green Areas: An Experimental Study on Stress Recovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5419
Author(s):  
Sanaz Memari ◽  
Mahdieh Pazhouhanfar ◽  
Patrik Grahn
Keyword(s):  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Film Clip ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

Natural environments have been shown to promote health, and are, therefore, important for achieving social sustainability in cities. As cities grow and become denser, it is important to develop knowledge about the characteristics of natural environments that work to promote health. Perceived Sensory Dimensions (PSDs) is a tool that defines eight different cultural ecosystem services. They correspond to different human needs (rest, exercise, socialising, pleasure, or security) resulting in rehabilitation and health and well-being promotion. An experiment was conducted to study the potential of PSDs to restore people who experienced stressful accidents. One hundred and fifty-seven participants were recruited and asked first to watch a film clip of serious accidents, then to look at the pictures, depicting one particular type of PSDs, while listening to its respective audio recording. Their stress levels were measured before exposure to the stressor (baseline), after exposure to the stressor (pre-test), and after exposure to a particular type of PSDs (post-test). The results show that all eight PSDs effectively provide mental recovery, but there are statistical differences in their potentials. As such, it is proposed that the combined potential of the PSDs is needed, and should be used to increase the capacity and supply of health-promoting urban green areas.

scholarly journals Higher education as a space for promoting the psychosocial well-being of refugee students

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odette Jack ◽  
Elaine Chase ◽  
Ian Warwick
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Ecological Model ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Refugee Students ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health Promoting University ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objective: This study aimed to investigate how well a single higher education institution (HEI) was perceived to be meeting the psychosocial support needs of refugee students and to identify possible ways in which the HEI might better promote refugee students’ psychosocial well-being. Design: Adopting an exploratory, focused case study design, the research employed a qualitative interpretive approach utilising three data collection methods: narrative inquiry, Photovoice and key informant interviews. The social ecological model and the health-promoting university approach guided the enquiry and analysis. Setting: A single HEI in London, UK. Results: Refugee student-participants reported stressful and traumatic experiences at different points in their migratory experience. Participants were motivated by being involved in education but identified barriers to seeking institutional support to improve their health and well-being. Student-participants and staff identified ways in which support for refugee student well-being could be improved. Conclusion: Refugee students were found to have specific health and well-being support needs which were not met due to a range of organisational constraints. The social ecological model and the health-promoting university offer frameworks for HEIs to respond better to the diverse health and well-being needs of students.

Healing work

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-99
Author(s):  
Sarah V. Suiter ◽  
C. Danielle Wilfong
Keyword(s):  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Barriers To Employment ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore women’s experiences in one such social enterprise, and to analyze the ways in which this social enterprise supports and/or undermines its employees’ health and well-being. Finding and keeping employment during recovery from addiction is a strong predictor of women’s ability to maintain sobriety and accomplish other important life goals. Many treatment organizations have programs that support job readiness and acquisition; however, less priority is placed on the quality of the workplaces and their consequences for continued health and well-being. Social enterprises that exist for the purpose of employing women in recovery have the potential to be health-promoting workspaces, but understanding how health is supported for this particular population is important. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides an ethnographic account of Light Collective, a social enterprise run by women in recovery from addiction. Data were collected through 2 years of participant observation, 38 interviews and 2 focus groups. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Findings Light Collective provides a health-promoting workplace by keeping barriers to employment low and making work hours and expectations individualized and flexible. Furthermore, the organization creates a setting in which work is developmentally nurturing, provides the opportunity for meaningful mastery and serves to build community amongst women who are often marginalized and isolated in more traditional contexts. Originality/value This study contributes to literature exploring the potential for social enterprises to create health-promoting workplaces by focusing the types of workplace commitments required to support a particularly vulnerable population. This study also explores some of the challenges and contradictions inherent in trying to create health-promoting work environments vis-à-vis the constraints of broader economic systems.

scholarly journals Noise Pollution Near Health Institutions

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Predrag Ilić ◽  
Ljiljana Stojanović-Bjelić ◽  
Zoran Janjuš
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Noise Level ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Health Institution ◽  
Health Institutions ◽  
Banja Luka ◽  
The City ◽  
Health And Well Being

Environmental noise pollution, a form of air pollution, is a threat to health and well-being. The primary aim of this study was to determine noise pollution in the urban part of the city of Banja Luka in Jovana Dučića Street (Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)) by evaluating noise levels in the street. The aim of this research is also to compare the measured noise levels in the street with legislation. The measured values exceeded the level of noise allowed. Results indicated that noise level values in this area near health institution are alarming.

scholarly journals The Cooling Effect of Urban Green Spaces in Metacities: A Case Study of Beijing, China’s Capital

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4601
Author(s):  
Liang Yan ◽  
Wenxiao Jia ◽  
Shuqing Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Cooling Effect ◽  
Heat Island ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Cooling Intensity ◽  
Urban Heat ◽  
Health And Well Being

Urban green spaces have many vital ecosystem services such as air cleaning, noise reduction, and carbon sequestration. Amid these great benefits from urban green spaces, the cooling effects via shading and evapotranspiration can mitigate the urban heat island effect. The impact of urban green spaces (UGSs) on the urban thermal environment in Beijing was quantified as a case study of metacities using four metrics: Land surface temperature (LST), cooling intensity, cooling extent, and cooling lapse. Three hundred and sixteen urban green spaces were extracted within the 4th ring road of Beijing from SPOT 6 satellite imagery and retrieved LST from Landsat 8 remote sensing data. The results showed that the cooling intensity of green spaces was generally more prominent in the areas with denser human activities and higher LST in this metacity. Vegetation density is always the dominant driver for the cooling effect indicated by all of the metrics. Furthermore, the results showed that those dispersive green spaces smaller than 9 ha, which are closely linked to the health and well-being of citizens, can possess about 6 °C of cooling effect variability, suggesting a great potential of managing the layout of small UGSs. In addition, the water nearby could be introduced to couple with the green and blue space for the promotion of cooling and enhancement of thermal comfort for tourists and residents. As the severe urban heating threatens human health and well-being in metacities, our findings may provide solutions for the mitigation of both the urban heat island and global climate warming of the UGS area customized cooling service.

scholarly journals Health-Promoting Factors Among Students in Higher Education within Health Care and Social Work: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Baseline Data in a Multicentre Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inger Ahlstrand ◽  
Ingrid Larsson ◽  
Margaretha Larsson ◽  
Aimée Ekman ◽  
Lena Hedén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
General Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Good General Health ◽  
Sleeping Problems ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Background: Educational environments are considered important for strengthening students’ health status and knowledge, which is associated with good educational outcomes. It has been suggested to establish healthy universities based on a salutogenic approach—namely, health promotion. The aim of this study was to describe health-promoting resources and factors among first-semester students in higher education in healthcare and social work.Methods: This cross-sectional study is based on a survey provided to all students in seven healthcare and social work programmes from six universities in southern Sweden. The survey was performed in 2018 using a self-reported, web-based questionnaire focussing on general health and well-being, lifestyle factors and three validated instruments measuring health-promoting factors and processes—the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale, Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) and Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ).Results: Of 2283 students, 851 completed the survey, where 742 (87.1%) were women; 722 students participated in healthcare programmes, and 129 students participated in social work programmes. Most reported good general health and well-being (88.1% and 83.7%, respectively). The total mean scores for the SOC scale, SHIS and OBQ were 59.09 (SD = 11.78), 44.04 (SD = 9.38) and 26.40 (SD = 7.07), respectively. Well-being and several health-promoting lifestyle factors were related to better general health and higher SOC, SHIS and OBQ scores. Multiple linear and logistic regressions showed that perceived well-being and no sleeping problems significantly predicted higher general health and higher SOC, SHIS and OBQ scores. Being less sedentary and non-smoking habits were significant predictors of higher SOC.Conclusions: Swedish students in higher education within the healthcare and social work sector report good general health and well-being in the first semester, as well as health-promoting resources (i.e. SOC, SHIS and OBQ), and in some aspects, a healthy lifestyle. High-intensity exercise, no sleeping problems and non-smoking seem to be of importance to both general health and health-promotive resources. This study contributes to the health promotive characteristics of students in the healthcare and social work sectors, which is of importance for planning universities with a salutogenic approach.

Exploring Singing Vocal Pedagogy in the Greek Elementary School through Interactive Technologies

2016 ◽  
pp. 310-324
Author(s):  
Sofia Stavropoulou ◽  
Anastasia Georgaki
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vocal Pedagogy ◽  
Interactive Technologies ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health And Well Being

A growing body of interdisciplinary research suggests that children's structured engagement in musical activities may have a positive impact on social inclusion by means of offering opportunities for social bonding, developing interpersonal relationships and empowering self-expression, health and well-being. In this paper we investigate the amelioration of children's voice accuracy and quality in signing through a visual feedback software. The research took place in two public elementary schools in Athens in a total of sixty children aged 6-9 years old and with a different cultural background. The statistical analysis on the effectiveness of the software has proved the amelioration of the children's voice quality before and after its use.

scholarly journals Acute Physiological and Psychological Effects of Qigong Exercise in Older Practitioners

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Yi Lin ◽  
Tze-Taur Wei ◽  
Chen-Chen Wang ◽  
Wan-Chen Chen ◽  
Yu-Min Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Short Form ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Electrical Conductance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Pericardium Meridian ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health And Well Being

Qigong is a gentle exercise that promotes health and well-being. This study evaluated the acute physiological and psychological effects of one session of qigong exercise in older practitioners. A total of 45 participants (mean age, 65.14 years) were recruited. Meridian electrical conductance, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), heart rate variability (HRV), and Short Form 36 (SF-36) were evaluated and compared before and after one session of qigong exercise. The results revealed that the electrical conductance of all meridians, except spleen and bladder meridians, increased significantly (p<0.05). Compared with baseline values, upper to lower body ratio and sympathetic/vagal index were significantly improved and closer to 1 (p=0.011 and p=0.007, resp.). STAI-S and STAI-T scores decreased significantly (p<0.001 and p=0.001, resp.). The RR interval of HRV decreased significantly (p=0.035), a significant positive correlation was observed between kidney meridian electrical conductance and SF-36 physical scores (r=0.74, p=0.018), and a positive correlation was observed between pericardium meridian electrical conductance and SF-36 mental scores (r=0.50, p=0.06). In conclusion, one session of qigong exercise increased meridian electrical conductance, reduced anxiety, and improved body and autonomic nervous system balance. These findings provide scientific evidence for acute physiological and psychological effects of qigong exercise in older practitioners.

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