Abstract
Few studies have examined the relationship between environmental sustainability education and health outcomes in youth. The purpose of this study was to examine health-related quality of life over a 13-week time period in a sample of urban minority youth who participated in an environmental education program with a nature contact component. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using a survey comprising five items (physical activity, emotional functioning, school functioning, family support, and social functioning). The overall HRQoL score was determined as the sum of the scores on the five items, with higher scores indicating better HRQoL. A pre-test/post-test within-subjects study design was used to evaluate changes in HRQoL. A total of 53 students (ages 10 to 14 years) participated in the environmental education intervention; 46 (87%) of those students completed HRQoL questionnaires before and after the program. There were statistically significant improvements in overall HRQoL scores and in the family support HRQoL domain scores. Engaging in the natural environment through environmental education may promote HRQoL in youth. Larger, prospective studies are warranted to further investigate these initial findings.
Highlights
In the United States, awareness of environmental issues among youth has decreased since the mid-1970s [1]
Bold type indicates statistical significance at p < 0.05. In this pilot study of urban, minority youth, we evaluated health-related quality of life before and after the implementation of an environmental sustainability education program with a nature contact component
Overall Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores increased after the environmental education intervention
Summary
In the United States, awareness of environmental issues among youth has decreased since the mid-1970s [1]. Concern about declines in environmental exposure and awareness have led to increased research on environmental education for youth [2,3]. In addition to disparities in environmental education, there are well-documented racial disparities in access to and contact with nature [5,6,7]. There is evidence that, compared to high-income populations, residents of low-income households and neighborhoods have unequal access to the natural environment [8,9]. These disparities in nature contact may have implications for inequalities in youth behavior, personal skills, and overall health [10,11,12,13].
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