Abstract
BackgroundIt is widely believed that contact with the natural environment can improve physical and mental health. Urban green spaces may provide city residents with these benefits; however, there is a lack of empirical field research on the health benefits of urban parks.MethodsThis field experiment was performed in May. Seventeen males aged 21.2 ± 1.7 years (mean ± standard deviation) were instructed to walk predetermined 15-minute courses in an urban park and a nearby city area (control). Heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured to assess physiological responses. The semantic differential (SD) method, Profile of Mood States (POMS), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to measure psychological responses.ResultsHeart rate was significantly lower while walking in the urban park than while walking in the city street. Furthermore, the urban park walk led to higher parasympathetic nervous activity and lower sympathetic nervous activity compared with the walk through the city street. Subjective evaluations were generally in accordance with physiological reactions, and significantly higher scores were observed for the ‘comfortable’, ‘natural’, and ‘relaxed’ parameters following the urban park walk. After the urban park walk, the score for the ‘vigor’ subscale of the POMS was significantly higher, whereas that for negative feelings such as ‘tension-anxiety’ and ‘fatigue’ was significantly lower. The score for the anxiety dimension of the STAI was also significantly lower after the urban park walk.ConclusionsPhysiological and psychological results from this field experiment provide evidence for the physiological and psychological benefits of urban green spaces. A brief spring-time walk in an urban park shifted sympathetic/parasympathetic balance and improved mood state.
Highlights
It is widely believed that contact with the natural environment can improve physical and mental health
The mean baseline heart rate did not differ significantly between sites before the walk (urban park: 87.5 ± 3.1 bpm, city area: 86.1 ± 2.9 bpm; P > 0.05); all mean heart rate values within oneminute epochs were lower during the urban park walk compared with those during the city walk (Figure 2A)
The mean normalized highfrequency (HF) component (ln(HF)), an estimate of parasympathetic nervous activity, was not significantly different at the start of the walk, while most mean ln (HF) values within one-minute epochs were higher during the urban park walk than during the city walk (Figure 3A)
Summary
It is widely believed that contact with the natural environment can improve physical and mental health. The primary focus of healthcare has been shifting from the treatment of disease to health promotion, disease prevention, and improved quality of life. Natural environments such as urban green spaces may provide such benefits, promoting human health and well being. Many studies have demonstrated a significant positive relationship between exposure to natural environments and physical and mental health. Several questionnaire-based studies reported restorative effects [18,19] According to these previous studies, contact with nature brings about physiological and psychological relaxation effects and improves immune function, clearly demonstrating the preventive medical effects of nature [20]. Living in areas with walkable green spaces increased the longevity of senior citizens, independent of age, sex, marital status, baseline functional status, and socioeconomic status [25]
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