Abstract
In an increasingly urbanised world where mental health is currently in crisis, interventions to increase human engagement and connection with the natural environment are one of the fastest growing, most widely accessible, and cost-effective ways of improving human wellbeing. This study aimed to provide an evaluation of a smartphone app-based wellbeing intervention. In a randomised controlled trial study design, the app prompted 582 adults, including a subgroup of adults classified by baseline scores on the Recovering Quality of Life scale as having a common mental health problem (n = 148), to notice the good things about urban nature (intervention condition) or built spaces (active control). There were statistically significant and sustained improvements in wellbeing at one-month follow-up. Importantly, in the noticing urban nature condition, compared to a built space control, improvements in quality of life reached statistical significance for all adults and clinical significance for those classified as having a mental health difficulty. This improvement in wellbeing was partly explained by significant increases in nature connectedness and positive affect. This study provides the first controlled experimental evidence that noticing the good things about urban nature has strong clinical potential as a wellbeing intervention and social prescription.
Highlights
Mental illness is the largest cause of disability in the United Kingdom (UK), contributing to 22.8%of the total burden of disease [1]
The importance of having access to nearby or urban green space is recognised in policy, with the European Environment Agency recommending that people should have access to green space within a 15-min walk from their home, the UK Government developing a 25-year plan to increase the connection between people and nature [8], and the World Health Organisation stating that urban green space is a “necessary component for delivering healthy, sustainable, liveable conditions” [1]
Using a novel urban social prescription implemented as a Smartphone app resulted in statistically significant improvements in wellbeing for adults in general, and statistically and clinically significant improvements in wellbeing for those classed as having a mental health difficulty
Summary
Mental illness is the largest cause of disability in the United Kingdom (UK), contributing to 22.8%of the total burden of disease [1]. The wider economic cost of mental illness is estimated at £105.2 billion per year in the UK [2] and 30% of the global population has suffered from a mental disorder [3]. Interventions to increase human engagement and connection with the natural environment are widely-accessible and cost-effective ways of improving human wellbeing and reducing health inequalities [7]. The importance of having access to nearby or urban green space is recognised in policy, with the European Environment Agency recommending that people should have access to green space within a 15-min walk from their home, the UK Government developing a 25-year plan to increase the connection between people and nature [8], and the World Health Organisation stating that urban green space is a “necessary component for delivering healthy, sustainable, liveable conditions” [1]. With increased urbanisation [9] there are fewer opportunities for people to access and engage with nature
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