Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care
BackgroundContact with nature promotes wellbeing through diverse pathways, providing a potential way of supporting health especially in primary care, where patients commonly suffer from multimorbidity and poor general health. Social prescribing is a non-pharmaceutical approach for improving health a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1208858/full |
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| author | Annika Kolster Annika Kolster Malin Heikkinen Adela Pajunen Anders Mickos Heini Wennman Timo Partonen |
| author_facet | Annika Kolster Annika Kolster Malin Heikkinen Adela Pajunen Anders Mickos Heini Wennman Timo Partonen |
| author_sort | Annika Kolster |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundContact with nature promotes wellbeing through diverse pathways, providing a potential way of supporting health especially in primary care, where patients commonly suffer from multimorbidity and poor general health. Social prescribing is a non-pharmaceutical approach for improving health as well as social inclusion. This field study explores and compares the effects of a nature-based and an exercise-based social prescribing scheme on mental wellbeing and sleep, in a primary care population.MethodsPrimary care patients identified to benefit from a general improvement to their health were recruited by nurses, doctors, or social workers to this non-randomized, intention-to-treat, pilot field-study. Participants (n = 79) chose between the group interventions, either taking part in guided walks in nature, including immersion in a forest with high biodiversity, or participating in a versatile sports program. Mental wellbeing was assessed with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), with additional questions evaluating self-rated health and sleep. Impact on mental wellbeing was explored in relation to perceived health. The amount and quality of sleep was measured with wrist-worn accelerometers. With a focus on everyday life impacts, the assessments took place before and after the 8-week intervention. All participants lived in Sipoo, Finland, an area with abundant accessible green space.ResultsParticipants (mean age 57 years, 79% female) rated their general and mental health lower than the general population. Participation in the Nature-group resulted in improved mental wellbeing (change in WEMWBS by 3.15, p = 0.008), with a positive change for feeling relaxed, being cheerful, having energy to spare, feeling able to deal well with problems, feeling good about oneself and feeling close to other people. The Sports-group was beneficial for those initially rating their health as good. Sleep duration improved in the Sports-group, while participants in the Nature-group reported better sleep quality. Following the interventions there was improvement in perceived health and ability to function in both groups, while perceived mental health improved only in the Nature-group.ConclusionWe attest that even in areas surrounded by greenery, active interventions can further improve health in a primary care population, and that nature-based interventions are beneficial for those in poor health.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT05893212. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:33:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f7a22caea524400088326990791b188d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T01:33:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-f7a22caea524400088326990791b188d2023-09-11T18:07:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-08-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.12088581208858Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary careAnnika Kolster0Annika Kolster1Malin Heikkinen2Adela Pajunen3Anders Mickos4Heini Wennman5Timo Partonen6Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandHealth Services, Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, Espoo, FinlandHealth and Social Welfare Service, Eastern Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, Sipoo, FinlandLuonnontie, Helsinki, FinlandPrimary Health Care Unit, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, FinlandBackgroundContact with nature promotes wellbeing through diverse pathways, providing a potential way of supporting health especially in primary care, where patients commonly suffer from multimorbidity and poor general health. Social prescribing is a non-pharmaceutical approach for improving health as well as social inclusion. This field study explores and compares the effects of a nature-based and an exercise-based social prescribing scheme on mental wellbeing and sleep, in a primary care population.MethodsPrimary care patients identified to benefit from a general improvement to their health were recruited by nurses, doctors, or social workers to this non-randomized, intention-to-treat, pilot field-study. Participants (n = 79) chose between the group interventions, either taking part in guided walks in nature, including immersion in a forest with high biodiversity, or participating in a versatile sports program. Mental wellbeing was assessed with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), with additional questions evaluating self-rated health and sleep. Impact on mental wellbeing was explored in relation to perceived health. The amount and quality of sleep was measured with wrist-worn accelerometers. With a focus on everyday life impacts, the assessments took place before and after the 8-week intervention. All participants lived in Sipoo, Finland, an area with abundant accessible green space.ResultsParticipants (mean age 57 years, 79% female) rated their general and mental health lower than the general population. Participation in the Nature-group resulted in improved mental wellbeing (change in WEMWBS by 3.15, p = 0.008), with a positive change for feeling relaxed, being cheerful, having energy to spare, feeling able to deal well with problems, feeling good about oneself and feeling close to other people. The Sports-group was beneficial for those initially rating their health as good. Sleep duration improved in the Sports-group, while participants in the Nature-group reported better sleep quality. Following the interventions there was improvement in perceived health and ability to function in both groups, while perceived mental health improved only in the Nature-group.ConclusionWe attest that even in areas surrounded by greenery, active interventions can further improve health in a primary care population, and that nature-based interventions are beneficial for those in poor health.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT05893212.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1208858/fullgreen spacemental wellbeingsleepprimary caresocial prescribingexercise |
| spellingShingle | Annika Kolster Annika Kolster Malin Heikkinen Adela Pajunen Anders Mickos Heini Wennman Timo Partonen Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care Frontiers in Public Health green space mental wellbeing sleep primary care social prescribing exercise |
| title | Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care |
| title_full | Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care |
| title_fullStr | Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care |
| title_short | Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care |
| title_sort | targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise a controlled trial in primary care |
| topic | green space mental wellbeing sleep primary care social prescribing exercise |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1208858/full |
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