Can mental health benefit from nature-based health therapies? A new scientific project led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) aims to improve health outcomes through frequent exposure to natural green spaces. We plan to investigate how this type of treatment can be incorporated into public health and nature promotion. Policies to improve people's mental health and reduce inequalities in dealing with these conditions.
Over the next four years, the GreenME project will revolutionize the understanding of mental health equity across Europe. To achieve this, 19 partners are participating, including Spain, Italy, the UK, the US, Poland, Sweden, Germany and Belgium, with approximately €6 million in funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation. is provided. program.
More than 60 members of the consortium recently gathered in Barcelona to launch the project. Researchers, treatment providers, and municipal representatives worked together to address the project challenges.
We need to deepen the evidence that therapies based on contact with nature benefit mental health and well-being, and one of our guiding principles is how contact with nature affects people's health. It is about empowering different stakeholders to bring about such benefits (green care) and involve them in shaping a sustainable society. health solutions. ”
Dr. Helen Cole, researcher at ICTA-UAB and one of the scientific coordinators of the GreenME project
Dr. Margarita Triguero Mas, researcher at UOC and ISGlobal, said: “This project thoroughly analyzes the close relationship between different levels of green care and mental health equity, and translates this knowledge into practice. “We will ensure that the results can be reflected in effective policies.” Scientific coordinator of the project along with Dr. Cole.
Researchers will explore the close interactions between mental health, green care, and environmental justice (including socio-environmental inequalities). As part of this, they will analyze the effectiveness of nature-based medical interventions. Nature-based therapies range from gardening, forest bathing (Japanese forest bathing), to any activity performed in contact with nature that is specifically designed to promote healing of illness or improving personal well-being. . The project will also review policies that currently promote equity in mental health and environmental sustainability.
In addition to nature-based therapies, researchers have investigated the effects of contact with nature in daily life (e.g., the presence of green and blue infrastructure for meditation and walks) or nature-based health promotion (active interaction with greenery). We are aware of two other types of green care, such as: , gardening and conservation).
Dr Helen Cole added: “We want this project to play a fundamental role in creating healthy, just, climate resilient and sustainable communities.” The GreenME project therefore aims to update our understanding of how contact with nature benefits our health, ensure equitable access to nature-based treatments, and create a healthier planet for all. The purpose is to advocate.
The GreenME consortium “Advancing green care in Europe: an integrative multi-scalar approach to scaling up nature-based therapies to improve mental health equity”, led by ICTA-UAB, is a collaboration between the University of Bologna, Italy; Bologna) and the University of Sweden. School of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet – Uppsala, Sweden), ILS Research (Regional Urban Development Institute – Dortmund, Germany), Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW – Warsaw, Poland), Open University of Barcelona (UOC – Barcelona, Spain), Old Continent (Brussels, Belgium), NeuroLandscape Foundation (Warsaw, Poland), Gesellschaft für Gartenbau und Therapie (GGuT – Huckeswagen, Germany), Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (IPIN – Warsaw, Poland), Scandinavian Nature and Forests Therapy Institute & SHINRIN-YOKU (Stockholm, Sweden), Eta Beta Cooperativa Sociale (Bologna, Italy), Municipality of Herne (Herne, Germany), Spanish Society for Horticulture and Social Therapy Horticulture (AEHJST – Madrid, Spain), Kent (Kent, UK) ), University of Salford (Salford, UK), Social Farms and Gardens (Bristol, UK), Mind in Bexley and East Kent LTD (London, UK), Oregon Health & Science University Portland State University Graduate School of Public Health (OHSU- PSU) – Oregon, USA.
sauce:
Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)
