Health and Wellbeing Benefits from the Coast
European Maritime Day May 22nd 2013
Mat White, Michael Depledge & Lora Fleming
European Centre for Environment & Human Health
Ecosystem services & Human well-being
Ecosystem services
Life on earth: Biodiversity
Supporting (e.g. Soil formation/ Nutrient cycling)
Regulating (e.g. climate, flood, disease)
Provisioning (e.g. Food, water, fuel, wood)
Cultural (Recreational, aesthetic, educational)
Adapted from: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Constituents of well-being
Freedom of choice & actions (e.g. being able to do valued things)
Security (e.g. personal safety, disaster avoidance)
Material needs (e.g. shelter, food, goods, livelihoods)
Health (e.g. strength, feeling well, clean air/water)
Social relations (e.g. social cohesion, helping others)
Green space & health
Living near green space is associated with:
- lower stress
- decreased risk of mortality by age 65
Sea & human health
So far the focus has been on threats to health
RISKS
Microbial pollution Storms, Floods &
Climate Change
Fisheries Destruction/
overfishing HABs & Other Toxins
Anthropogenic Chemicals
Sea & human health
Even today: 260 Million trips to the English coast a year
Royal Sea Bathing Hospital -
Margate (Est.1791) Dr Richard Russell
(1687– 1759)
What do people do at the coast these days?
Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment
(MENE, n = 142,031; visits n = 11,680)
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Fre
qu
en
cy (
tota
l n
= 1
,290)
2% 3%
17%
70%
PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE COAST ARE HEALTHIER
Self-reported health
Census Data (England, n = 48 million)
Census Data & Health
0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1
1,2
50+km(ref) 21-50 km 6-20 km 1-5 km < 1 km
% c
han
ge i
n p
op
ula
tio
n w
ith
"g
oo
d
healt
h"
Home (LSOA) distance from the coast
***
***
***
***
ref *** p < .001
Do people who live near the coast exercise more?
PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE COAST ARE MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE
0,90
0,95
1,00
1,05
1,10
1,15
50+km(ref) 21-50 km 6-20 km 1-5 km < 1 km
Od
ds
Ra
tio
fo
r m
ee
tin
g p
hys
ica
l a
cti
vit
y g
uid
eli
ne
s
Home (LSOA) distance from the coast
**
***
ns ns ref
Ns = not significant;
** p < .01 ;*** p < .001
Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment
(MENE, n = 142,031)
3,90
3,95
4,00
4,05
4,10
4,15
4,20
4,25
4,30
Urban parks Countryside Coast Urban parks Countryside Coast
Str
es
s r
ed
uc
tio
n
Stress reduction from coastal visits
All activities (n = 11,680) Walking (n = 5,592)
ref
* p < .05
*
*
Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment
(visits n = 11,680)
3,90
3,95
4,00
4,05
4,10
4,15
4,20
4,25
4,30
Urban parks Countryside Coast Urban parks Countryside Coast
Str
es
s r
ed
uc
tio
n
Stress reduction from coastal visits
VISITING THE COAST IS PARTICULARLY STRESS REDUCING
All activities (n = 11,680) Walking (n = 5,592)
ref
* p < .05
*
*
ref
*
*
Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment
(visits n = 11,680)
Coast & health: Main pathways
Exposure
to coast
< Stress
+ Physical
Health
> Exercise
THE EFFECTS ARE STRONGESTS IN
POORER COMMUNITIES
THE EFFECTS ARE SMALL BUT
IMPORTANT AT A POPULATION LEVEL
Coast & health: Current research
2 key questions under investigation:
a) Will improving coastal access improve population health?
Improving coastal access
Areas of relative deprivation to be monitored in the proposed research
COastal AccesS Trial (COAST)
What impact will improved coastal
access have on the health & well-being
of deprived coastal communities?
Coast & health: Current research
2 key questions under investigation:
a) Will improving coastal access improve population health?
b) Can we bring the coast inland/indoors?
Bringing the sea into health care
Dental room
Virtual beach
Iced water
4
4,5
5
5,5
6
6,5
7
7,5
8
Experienced pain Recalled pain (+ 1 week)
Pai
n: 0
= N
on
e /
10
= U
nb
ear
able
Dental Room Virtual Beach
*
* p < .05; ** p < .01
Bringing the sea into health care
Dental room
Virtual beach
Iced water
4
4,5
5
5,5
6
6,5
7
7,5
8
Experienced pain Recalled pain (+ 1 week)
Pai
n: 0
= N
on
e /
10
= U
nb
ear
able
Dental Room Virtual Beach
**
*
* p < .05; ** p < .01
Coast & health: Main pathways
Exposure
to coast
< Stress
+ Physical
Health
> Exercise
< Pharmaceuticals
1) Other European countries?
2) What is the optimal dose?
3) How long do effects last?
4) What about children?
5) Environmental impact?
6) Comparisons to drugs (e.g. depression)?
Just some of the remaining questions
The team: Ian Alcock, Debbie Cracknell, Michael Depledge, Karin Dijkstra, Lewis Elliot, Lora
Fleming, Amanda Hignett, Rebecca Jenkin, Sabine Pahl, Cassie Phoenix, Jo Ross, John Rowe,
Tim Taylor, Chloe Thomas, Ben Wheeler, Kayleigh Wyles.
Contact - Mat White: [email protected]
www.ecehh.org.uk
Thanks very much for your attention
Health & well-being benefits from the coast
References
Ashbullby, K.J., Pahl, S. Webley, P. & White, M.P. (2013). The beach as a setting for families’ health
promotion: A qualitative study with parents and children living in coastal regions in Southwest England.
Revised & Resubmitted to Health & Place.
White, M.P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B.W. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Coastal proximity and health: A fixed
effects analysis of longitudinal panel data. Revised & Resubmitted to Health & Place Health & Place.
White, M.P., Pahl., S., Wheeler, B.W. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Coastal proximity and physical activity in
England. Manuscript under review
White, M.P., Pahl, S. Ashbullby, K.J., Herbert, S.& Depledge, M.H. (2013). Feelings of restoration from
recent nature visits. In press at Journal of Environmental Psychology.
White, M.P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B.W. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener
urban area?: A fixed effects analysis of panel data. Psychological Science. DOI:
10.1177/0956797612464659
White, M.P., Cracknell, D., Corcoran, A., Jenkinson.G. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Do preferences for
waterscapes persist in inclement weather conditions and extend to sub-aquatic scenes? Landscape
Research. DOI:10.1080/01426397.2012.759919.
Wyles, K., Pahl, S., White, M.P., Morris, S., Cracknell, D. (2013). Enhancing the "Marine Mindset": The effects
of an aquarium visit and information booklet on attitudes and intentions about fish sustainability and marine
pollution. Visitor Studies, 16, 95-110.
Wheeler, B., White, M.P., Stahl-Timmins, W. & Depledge, M.H. (2012). Does living by the coast improve health
and wellbeing? Health & Place, 18, 1198-1201.
White, M.P., Smith, A., Humphryes, K., Pahl, S., Snelling, D. & Depledge, M. (2010) Blue space: The
importance of water for preference, affect and restorativeness ratings of natural and built scenes.
Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 482-493.
Health & well-being benefits from the coast