scholarly journals Influence of Informal Education in the Forest Stand Redevelopment Area on the Psychological Restoration of Working Adults

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 993
Author(s):  
Natalia Korcz ◽  
Emilia Janeczko ◽  
Ernest Bielinis ◽  
Danuta Urban ◽  
Jacek Koba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
Informal Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Forest Stand ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Forest Bathing ◽  
Commercial Forest ◽  
Psychological Questionnaires

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, a significant part of the human population lives and works in urban agglomerations. Limited contact with nature, polluted air, stress, and a sedentary work style all contribute to problems with the physical and mental health of a considerable number of city dwellers. There are many studies indicating the positive, restorative properties of natural environments, such as forests, on human well-being. Our aim was to investigate whether suburban commercial forests in combination with informal environmental education can bring restorative properties to people, especially those who are economically active. Materials and Methods: Four psychological questionnaires were used to determine the restorative properties of a suburban commercial forest on young active people: the Profile of Mood Scale (POMS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS), and the Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS). The experiment involved 60 participants who took forest baths (the act of spending time in a forest and opening your senses to the natural surroundings to experience feelings of peace and wellbeing) in a suburban commercial forest surrounding Świdnik, a city of 40,000 inhabitants located directly next to Lublin (a provincial city with a population of 339,811). The volunteers were divided into three groups; Group A walked an educational route with educational boards (route A1). Group B walked another route with a forest educator who described various forest management activities conducted in this forest (route A2). Group C walked alone, without an educator, along route A2. All three groups arrived at the site of forest stand redevelopment as the end of their route. After a short 10-min exposure to this site, the volunteers again completed the psychological questionnaires. Results: Our study clearly indicates a positive effect from forest bathing in suburban commercial forests. Both the walk with a forest educator and the walk along the educational trail supported psychological recovery for the participants of the experiment, which shows that informal environmental education carried out in forests can be successfully combined with forest bathing, supporting the positive effects of this activity.

Jogging, nordic walking and going for a walk - inter-disciplinary recommendations to keep people physically active in times of the covid-19 lockdown in Tyrol, Austria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika Frühauf ◽  
Martin Schnitzer ◽  
Wolfgang Schobersberger ◽  
Günter Weiss ◽  
Martin Kopp
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Health It ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Nordic Walking ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Outdoor Sports ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Hiking Trails

Physical activity has a strong impact on physical and mental health. It prevents diseases, strengthens the immune system, and helps to reduce stress. Moreover, physical activity increases the psychological well-being, with outdoor exercise showing even more positive effects. In times when national regulations also restrict the possibilities for exercise, the authors—referring to scientifically sound findings and adhering to the current social distancing rules—recommend allowing moderate outdoor sports activities (jogging, Nordic walking, going for a walk) and the use of park trails, hiking trails, and forest roads in easy terrains.

scholarly journals Enable, Reconnect and Augment: A New ERA of Virtual Nature Research and Application

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigbjørn Litleskare ◽  
Tadhg E. MacIntyre ◽  
Giovanna Calogiuri
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Real Nature

Being exposed to natural environments is associated with improved health and well-being, as these environments are believed to promote feelings of “being away” from everyday struggles, positive emotional reactions and stress reduction. Despite these positive effects, humanity is becoming increasingly more distanced from nature due to societal changes, such as increased urbanization and the reduced accessibility of natural environments. Technology is also partly to blame, as research suggests that people replace nature contact with increased screen time. In this cross-section between nature and technology, we find technological nature which is progressing towards a point where we may be capable of simulating exposure to real nature. Concerns have been raised regarding this technology, as it is feared it will replace real nature. However, research suggests that virtual nature may have a more positive impact on society than a mere replacement of real nature, and this review propose several areas where virtual nature may be a beneficial addition to actual nature (Enable), help people reconnect with the real natural world (Reconnect) and “boost” human-nature interactions (Augment). Based on the current research and theoretical framework, this review proposes guidelines for future research within these areas, with the aim of advancing the field by producing high quality research.

scholarly journals Social Islands: Examining the Intersection of Isolation and Technology Use

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 462-463
Author(s):  
Joseph Svec ◽  
Megan Gilligan
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Using Data

Abstract Life course theory suggests that social relationships are tied to overall well-being. In the extant literature social isolation negatively impacts physical and mental health outcomes in later life. In this study, we focus specifically on the association between social isolation and older adult’s self-rated health status. We also examine whether and the extent to which technology use augments negative health consequences attributed to isolation. Using data on 3,758 older adults (ages 65+) from the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, we contribute to current scholarly examinations at the intersection of technology and isolation. We conduct a series of ordinal logistic regressions to estimate the odds of respondents’ higher self-rated health (from poor = 1 to excellent = 5) on subjective measures of social isolation (i.e. feel left out, lack of companionship and isolated from others) in addition to whether respondents live with a partner and have an adult child who lives in close geographic proximity. Preliminary results show that individuals who perceived higher levels of social isolation evaluated their own health status as poorer. We also find that the use of computers for virtual communications corresponds with higher self-rated health statuses, regardless of the proximity of children or other family members. However, a negative interaction between computer use and isolation indicates the positive effects of technology are limited for those who are highly isolated. These findings suggest that technology impacts on health are nuanced, where an overreliance on technology as a substitute may not consistently yield positive outcomes.

scholarly journals Recognizing and Mitigating Canine Stress during Animal Assisted Interventions

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 254
Author(s):  
Lisa Townsend ◽  
Nancy R. Gee
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
Stress Signals ◽  
Physical Comfort ◽  
Mental Well Being

Animal-assisted Interventions (AAI) proliferated rapidly since clinicians and researchers first noted the positive effects animals have on people struggling with physical and mental health concerns. The intersection of AAI with the field of animal welfare evolved from considering animals’ basic needs, such as freedom from pain, to recognition that animals experience nuanced emotions. Current conceptualizations of the various roles of companion animals as an adjunct to treatments for humans emphasize not only the animals' physical comfort and autonomy, but also their mental well-being and enjoyment of AAI activities. However, numerous challenges to effective monitoring of animals involved in AAI exist. This article focuses specifically on dogs, highlighting factors that may lead handlers and therapists to miss or ignore canine stress signals during human-animal interactions and offers strategies to recognize and ameliorate dogs’ distress more consistently. The primary goals of this discussion are to summarize the current thinking on canine well-being and to highlight practical applications of animal welfare principles in real-world AAI settings. The paper highlights contextual factors (e.g., physical setting, patient demand), human influences (e.g., desire to help), and intervention characteristics (e.g., presence or absence of a dog-specific advocate) that may promote or inhibit humans’ ability to advocate for therapy dogs during AAI activities. Deidentified examples of each of these factors are discussed, and recommendations are provided to mitigate factors that interfere with timely recognition and amelioration of canine distress.

scholarly journals Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on urban park visitation: a global analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dehui (Christina) Geng ◽  
John Innes ◽  
Wanli Wu ◽  
Guangyu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Global Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Spiritual Wellness ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Park Visitation ◽  
Park Design

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 33 million confirmed cases and over 1 million deaths globally, as of 1 October 2020. During the lockdown and restrictions placed on public activities and gatherings, green spaces have become one of the only sources of resilience amidst the coronavirus pandemic, in part because of their positive effects on psychological, physical and social cohesion and spiritual wellness. This study analyzes the impacts of COVID-19 and government response policies to the pandemic on park visitation at global, regional and national levels and assesses the importance of parks during this global pandemic. The data we collected primarily from Google’s Community Mobility Reports and the Oxford Coronavirus Government Response Tracker. The results for most countries included in the analysis show that park visitation has increased since February 16th, 2020 compared to visitor numbers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions on social gathering, movement, and the closure of workplace and indoor recreational places, are correlated with more visits to parks. Stay-at-home restrictions and government stringency index are negatively associated with park visits at a global scale. Demand from residents for parks and outdoor green spaces has increased since the outbreak began, and highlights the important role and benefits provided by parks, especially urban and community parks, under the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide recommendations for park managers and other decision-makers in terms of park management and planning during health crises, as well as for park design and development. In particular, parks could be utilized during pandemics to increase the physical and mental health and social well-being of individuals.

Spirituality and Well-Being in a Successful Life

2020 ◽  
pp. 296-314
Author(s):  
Bhanu Prasad Behera
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Spiritual Wellbeing ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Active Lifestyle ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Spiritual Community ◽  
Personal Value ◽  
Life Itself ◽  
Life On Earth

Life on earth is about evolving spiritually. Spirituality is not only about meditation and prayer. Life itself is a property of the spirit. Life is about growth, experience, and learning. There are several dimensions that help us to perform our spiritual practices to become internally free and stable. Spiritual wellbeing is a highly personal and universal experience. Spiritual wellbeing is an integral part of emotional, physical, and mental health. Spirituality has positive effects on our lives. It gives peace, freedom, and happiness; helps in treating stress, depression, anorexia; etc. Spiritual wellbeing helps in making relationships better, enhancing personal value, maintaining better work-life balance, understanding the personal value, time to spend alone, finding inner peace, finding job satisfaction, maintaining active lifestyle, balancing and controlling life, better health and longer life, a strong spiritual community, and better connection between people.

Ecosystem Services and Human Health

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabet Lindgren ◽  
Thomas Elmqvist
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Increased Risk

Ecosystem services refer to benefits for human societies and well-being obtained from ecosystems. Research on health effects of ecosystem services have until recently mostly focused on beneficial effects on physical and mental health from spending time in nature or having access to urban green space. However, nearly all of the different ecosystem services may have impacts on health, either directly or indirectly. Ecosystem services can be divided into provisioning services that provide food and water; regulating services that provide, for example, clean air, moderate extreme events, and regulate the local climate; supporting services that help maintain biodiversity and infectious disease control; and cultural services. With a rapidly growing global population, the demand for food and water will increase. Knowledge about ecosystems will provide opportunities for sustainable agriculture production in both terrestrial and marine environments. Diarrheal diseases and associated childhood deaths are strongly linked to poor water quality, sanitation, and hygiene. Even though improvements are being made, nearly 750 million people still lack access to reliable water sources. Ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and lakes capture, filter, and store water used for drinking, irrigation, and other human purposes. Wetlands also store and treat solid waste and wastewater, and such ecosystem services could become of increasing use for sustainable development. Ecosystems contribute to local climate regulation and are of importance for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Coastal ecosystems, such as mangrove and coral reefs, act as natural barriers against storm surges and flooding. Flooding is associated with increased risk of deaths, epidemic outbreaks, and negative health impacts from destroyed infrastructure. Vegetation reduces the risk of flooding, also in cities, by increasing permeability and reducing surface runoff following precipitation events. The urban heat island effect will increase city-center temperatures during heatwaves. The elderly, people with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and outdoor workers in cities where temperatures soar during heatwaves are in particular vulnerable to heat. Vegetation and especially trees help in different ways to reduce temperatures by shading and evapotranspiration. Air pollution increases the mortality and morbidity risks during heatwaves. Vegetation has been shown also to contribute to improved air quality by, depending on plant species, filtering out gases and airborne particulates. Greenery also has a noise-reducing effect, thereby decreasing noise-related illnesses and annoyances. Biological control uses the knowledge of ecosystems and biodiversity to help control human and animal diseases. Natural surroundings and urban parks and gardens have direct beneficial effects on people’s physical and mental health and well-being. Increased physical activities have well-known health benefits. Spending time in natural environments has also been linked to aesthetic benefits, life enrichments, social cohesion, and spiritual experience. Even living close to or with a view of nature has been shown to reduce stress and increase a sense of well-being.

Hormonal contraception as a method of social adaptation of women in modern society

GYNECOLOGY ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Tatyana Yu Pestrikova ◽  
Elena A Yurasova ◽  
Igor V Yurasov ◽  
Tamara D Kovaleva
Keyword(s):  
Ethinyl Estradiol ◽  
Hormonal Contraception ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Hormonal Contraceptives ◽  
Aim Analysis ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Chlormadinone Acetate

Relevance. Currently, women make up more than 40% of the global workforce and more than half of students studying at universities around the world. Women's education, especially at a high level, tends to increase female employment. The mismatch of the style and rhythm of modern life with a genetically determined and working millennium reproductive program requires the choice of a specific approach to social adaptation. Aim. Analysis of literary sources on the use of hormonal contraception as a method of social adaptation. Materials and methods. To write this review, domestic and foreign publications were searched in Russian and international search systems (PubMed, eLibrary, etc.) for the last 2-10 years. The review included articles from peer-reviewed literature. Results. The review describes the features of modern hormonal contraceptives. Their non-contraceptive effects are presented. The individual non-contraceptive effects of a combined oral contraceptive containing 30 mg of ethinyl estradiol and 2 mg of chlormadinone acetate were determined. It has been established that the use of this contraceptive helps to improve the well-being and mood of patients, which allows you to actively use this contraceptive in routine clinical practice with premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea, without the use of analgesics. Conclusions. The numerous positive effects of ethinyl estradiol and chlormadinone acetate allow the use of the drug as a means to increase social adaptation, and, consequently, improve the quality of life.

Educational Digital Media Tools to Reformulate Activity and Object in Indigenous Science and Environmental Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-134
Author(s):  
Reynaldo Morales Cardenas
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Informal Education ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
Local Actors

This paper examines the functioning of and underlying assumptions about digital media in collaborative curriculum design processes in public science and environmental education, and community-designed action research learning programs. The article discusses teaching practices in US rural Northeast Wisconsin among Native Youth learning processes, from the complementation and articulation of formal and informal education to meaningful engagement and participation in science. The focus on the transformative use of digital media in science community education is intended to serve two interrelated purposes: First, it helps to address cultural-historical relations around the production of knowledge and relevant curriculums and pedagogies for rural tribal youth. Second, it intersects with the opportunities for the transferability of activity systems and action research centered around the production of mediational artifacts designed for the collective negotiation between First Nations Tribal communities and western modeled schools, institutions, workplaces, and societal roles. The transferability of this model envisions the incorporation of local actors and institutions in a deep artifact-based dialogue around epistemologies of self-determination and sustainability for Peoples who are fighting for their survival. These propositions take a new level when the transformative power of digital media shifts representations of power in historically marginalized communities, serving a larger activity of reorganizing ecologies of learning in education for culturally distinctive communities of practice.

Application of mobile health to support the elderly during the COVID-19 outbreak: A systematic literature review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeedeh Fehresti ◽  
Elham Monaghesh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Mental Health Consultation ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Positive Effects

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the elderly's physical and mental health. The application of information and communication technology, such as mobile health (m-health), can play a significant role in combating this pandemic by changing the behavior and lifestyle of the elderly during this time of crisis. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aimed to synthesize m-health capabilities in providing health services to the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify the factors associated with the success of these tools. METHODS To find the relevant studies, a search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria were: studies in English that used m-health intervention in all aspects of elderly healthcare during the COVID-19 outbreak, published in peer-reviewed journals from 31 December 2019, and had any research design and methodology. Two authors independently took all the steps of this review, and finally performed narrative synthesis to report the findings. RESULTS Our initial search identified 421 studies, of which 10 met the inclusion criteria. The data analysis showed that all the m-health interventions had positive effects on the health of the elderly. The m-health services for the elderly during the current pandemic were used for therapy, information provision, self-help, monitoring, and mental health consultation purposes. The results also indicated that various factors affected the elderly's use of m-health tools. CONCLUSIONS The application of m-health keeps the elderly and healthcare providers safe, accelerates health service provision, reduces the costs of service delivery, and decreases the risk of morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak. The successful use of m-health tools for the elderly in health programs during the current crisis greatly depends on supporting the elderly and overcoming the barriers.

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