Green social prescribing aims to improve people’s health and wellbeing through nature-based activities and interventions.
Social prescribing
Green social prescribing is a type of social prescribing. Social prescribing aims to connect people to practical, social and emotional support within their local community.
This involves connecting individuals to non-clinical, community-based programmes for improving health and wellbeing, such as physical activity groups and healthy eating advice, housing and debt advice, social groups and the arts.
Green social prescribing
Green social prescribing aims to connect people to local nature-based activities and interventions to improve health and wellbeing. Activities include: walking for health schemes, park run, community gardening, food growing programmes, conservation volunteering, arts and cultural activities.
Green spaces such as parks, forests and gardens have been shown to have a significant positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, promoting resilience, social connection and connection to nature. By improving access to nature-based activities, green social prescribing offers the added benefits of spending time in nature to support health and wellbeing.
Green space exposure has been linked to positive outcomes for physical and mental wellbeing, health, mortality and morbidity.
Positive physical outcomes:
Access to green spaces is associated with increased physical activity and exercise, lower heart rates and blood pressure[i], lower mortality from cardiovascular disease[ii], lower rates of obesity[iii] and lower levels of type 2 diabetes[iv].
Positive mental outcomes:
Activity in natural green spaces, is associated with better mental health[v] and higher levels of wellbeing[vi] stress relief and lowering negative emotions[vii]. Green spaces help with feeling revitalised, having increased energy and positive engagement[viii].
Positive social outcomes:
Access to green space is associated with increased life satisfaction, social connection and networks[ix]
Positive Environmental Outcomes:
Increased green space improves air quality, reduces noise pollution and reduces risks from flooding or heat waves.
References
[i] Pretty J, Barton J, Colbeck I, Hine R, Mourato S, MacKerron G and Wood C (2011) Health values from ecosystems. The UK National Ecosystem Assessment: Technical Report. UK National Ecosystem Assessment. UNEP-WCMC, Cambridge. Available at http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=kHZuV08uyEs%3D&tabid=82, accessed June, 2022.
[ii] Gascon M, Triguero-Mas M, Martinez D, Dadvand P, Rojas-Rueda D, Planencia A and Nieuwenhuijsen J (2016) Residential green spaces and mortality: A systematic review. Environment International 86: 60-67.
[iii] Lachowycz K and Jones A (2011) Greenspace and obesity: a systematic review of the evidence. Obesity Reviews 12(5): 183-189.
[iv] Bodicoat D, O’Donovan G, Dalton A, Gray L, Yates T, Edwardson C, Hill S, Webb D, Khunti I, Davides M and Jones A (2014) The association between neighbourhood greenspace and type 2 diabetes in a large cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 4(12).
[v] Alcock I, White M, Wheeler B, Fleming L and Depledge M (2014) Longitudinal Effects on Mental Health of Moving to Greener and Less Green Urban Areas. Environmental Science and Technology 48(2): 1247-1255.
[vi] White M, Alcock I, Wheeler B and Depledge M (2013) Would You Be Happier Living in A Greener Urban Area? A Fixed-Effects Analysis of Panel Data. Psychological Science 6: 920-928.
[vii] Bowler D, Buyung-Ali L, Knight T and Pullin A (2010) A systematic review of evidence for the added benefits to health of exposure to natural environments. BMC Public Health 10: 456.
[viii] Thompson Coon J, Boddy K, Stein K, Whear R, Barton J and Depledge M (2011) Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental Science and Technology 45: 1761.
[ix] Van Dillen S, de Vries, S, Groenewegen P and Spreeuwenberg P (2012) Greenspace in urban areas and residents’ health: adding quality to quantity. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 66(6).