Abstract
Visiting nature is positively associated with physical and mental well-being. The role of nature became more pronounced during the coronavirus outbreak in the spring of 2020. Countries all over the world implemented confinement measures to reduce the transmission of the virus. These included but were not limited to the cancelation of public events, schools, and non-essential businesses and the prohibition of non-essential travels. However, going outside to exercise was recommended by the Belgian government. During this period, we conducted an online survey to determine if people visit nature more frequently than before and to identify the factors that contribute to this. The results are based on data from 11,352 participants in Flanders, Belgium. With the use of a bivariate and multiple regression analysis, results indicate that people visit nature more frequently than before and that nature helped to maintain social relationships during the coronavirus period. Gardens were reported to be the most popular place, followed by parks. More than half of the people experienced nature in a more positive way, and the belief that nature visits are important for general health increased. In addition, we found a positive association between nature visits and home satisfaction, as well as a positive association with subjective mental and physical health. Lastly, we identified several demographic factors contributing to the frequency of nature visits such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Our findings indicate the importance of nature visits for general well-being and highlight the need for nearby green infrastructure.
Highlights
It is widely acknowledged that nature affects human health [1,2,3]
With a growing body of evidence of proven health benefits from visiting nature [6, 8, 37], the current study aimed to investigate to which extent people visit nature when the first confinement measures where applicable in Flanders, Belgium, and how this contributes to their perceived general well-being and their perception of nature and health
We focused on the presented research questions and the hypothesis that there would be a noticeable increase in nature visits due to the COVID-19 confinement measures
Summary
It is widely acknowledged that nature affects human health [1,2,3]. Increasing empirical evidence demonstrates a positive relationship between nature and well-being [4,5,6], such as improved relaxation and restoration, enhanced immune function, improved air quality, social connectedness, and increased physical activity [7]. These findings have led to more health-care research exploring. The importance of contact with nature for human health became clear during the coronavirus pandemic [10]. A trend of people visiting nature more often could be observed in western countries [14,15,16,17]
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