Abstract
Connectedness to nature (CN) influences motivation to have contact with outdoor natural environments. Spending leisure time in natural environments is beneficial for human health and well-being. Besides these positive effects, health risks of open-air activities are mainly related to unprotected sun light exposure-associated acute and chronic skin hazards. Thus, we conducted a cross-sectional, representative telephone survey among Austrian residents to study the association of perceived CN level with sun-exposure knowledge, tanning habits, and sun protective behaviour. In total, 1,500 study subjects (50.5% females) participated in this questionnaire survey. Although knowledge about tanning and motives to tan were similar among genders, females performed more photoprotective measures and were more connected to nature (all p < 0.001) compared to males. Older age and outdoor sport were significant gender-independent predictor variables influencing perceived CN level. Additionally, level of education was relevant in male CN, whereas non-smoking and higher knowledge were predictive of female CN. This survey provides so far unreported empirical data on the relationship between nature connectedness and skin health-relevant recreational habits of Austrian residents. The findings suggest to integrate hitherto neglected gender-specific Public (Skin) Health promotion when counselling on the manifold health advantages of outdoor activities.
Highlights
Contact with nature and its inherent biodiversity is vital for human beings on the level of all three health dimensions—physical, mental and social well-being and health
Participants reported on socio-demographic characteristics
In our previously published validation study among an Austria study sample, we showed a high correlation between the scale and the single item for Connectedness to nature (CN) assessment [24]
Summary
Contact with nature and its inherent biodiversity is vital for human beings on the level of all three health dimensions—physical, mental and social well-being and health. Advantageous health effects of spending leisure time outdoors have been constantly reported by various scientific domains. Environmental psychology-based research assessed positive effects of natural surroundings on restoration by means of measuring physiological (e.g., cortisol levels) and psychological (e.g., mood) parameters [1]. Several investigations reported positive associations between amount of natural environments and health benefits [2,3]. Enhancement of physical activity through natural environments and subsequent benefits for fitness and body weight was scope of Public. Therein, authors concluded that compared to indoor exercise, outdoor activities have greater positive effects on physical and mental well-being [4,5,6]
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