Health and Wellbeing Benefits from the Coast

European Maritime Day May 22nd 2013

Mat White, Michael Depledge & Lora Fleming

European Centre for Environment & Human Health

Ecosystem services & Human well-being

Ecosystem services

Life on earth: Biodiversity

Supporting (e.g. Soil formation/ Nutrient cycling)

Regulating (e.g. climate, flood, disease)

Provisioning (e.g. Food, water, fuel, wood)

Cultural (Recreational, aesthetic, educational)

Adapted from: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Constituents of well-being

Freedom of choice & actions (e.g. being able to do valued things)

Security (e.g. personal safety, disaster avoidance)

Material needs (e.g. shelter, food, goods, livelihoods)

Health (e.g. strength, feeling well, clean air/water)

Social relations (e.g. social cohesion, helping others)

Health & the environment

Good quality environments are good for human health

Green space & health

Living near green space is associated with:

- lower stress

- decreased risk of mortality by age 65

Sea & human health

So far the focus has been on threats to health

RISKS

Microbial pollution Storms, Floods &

Climate Change

Fisheries Destruction/

overfishing HABs & Other Toxins

Anthropogenic Chemicals

Sea & human health

Even today: 260 Million trips to the English coast a year

Royal Sea Bathing Hospital -

Margate (Est.1791) Dr Richard Russell

(1687– 1759)

What do people do at the coast these days?

Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment

(MENE, n = 142,031; visits n = 11,680)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Fre

qu

en

cy (

tota

l n

= 1

,290)

2% 3%

17%

70%

Coast & health: Main pathways

Exposure

to coast

+ Physical

Health

PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE COAST ARE HEALTHIER

Self-reported health

Census Data (England, n = 48 million)

Census Data & Health

0

0,2

0,4

0,6

0,8

1

1,2

50+km(ref) 21-50 km 6-20 km 1-5 km < 1 km

% c

han

ge i

n p

op

ula

tio

n w

ith

"g

oo

d

healt

h"

Home (LSOA) distance from the coast

***

***

***

***

ref *** p < .001

Coast & health: Main pathways

Exposure

to coast

+ Physical

Health

> Exercise

Do people who live near the coast exercise more?

PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE COAST ARE MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

0,90

0,95

1,00

1,05

1,10

1,15

50+km(ref) 21-50 km 6-20 km 1-5 km < 1 km

Od

ds

Ra

tio

fo

r m

ee

tin

g p

hys

ica

l a

cti

vit

y g

uid

eli

ne

s

Home (LSOA) distance from the coast

**

***

ns ns ref

Ns = not significant;

** p < .01 ;*** p < .001

Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment

(MENE, n = 142,031)

Coast & health: Main pathways

Exposure

to coast

< Stress

+ Physical

Health

> Exercise

3,90

3,95

4,00

4,05

4,10

4,15

4,20

4,25

4,30

Urban parks Countryside Coast Urban parks Countryside Coast

Str

es

s r

ed

uc

tio

n

Stress reduction from coastal visits

All activities (n = 11,680) Walking (n = 5,592)

ref

* p < .05

*

*

Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment

(visits n = 11,680)

3,90

3,95

4,00

4,05

4,10

4,15

4,20

4,25

4,30

Urban parks Countryside Coast Urban parks Countryside Coast

Str

es

s r

ed

uc

tio

n

Stress reduction from coastal visits

VISITING THE COAST IS PARTICULARLY STRESS REDUCING

All activities (n = 11,680) Walking (n = 5,592)

ref

* p < .05

*

*

ref

*

*

Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment

(visits n = 11,680)

Coast & health: Main pathways

Exposure

to coast

< Stress

+ Physical

Health

> Exercise

THE EFFECTS ARE STRONGESTS IN

POORER COMMUNITIES

THE EFFECTS ARE SMALL BUT

IMPORTANT AT A POPULATION LEVEL

Coast & health: Current research

2 key questions under investigation:

a) Will improving coastal access improve population health?

Improving coastal access

Areas of relative deprivation to be monitored in the proposed research

COastal AccesS Trial (COAST)

What impact will improved coastal

access have on the health & well-being

of deprived coastal communities?

Coast & health: Current research

2 key questions under investigation:

a) Will improving coastal access improve population health?

b) Can we bring the coast inland/indoors?

Bringing the sea into health care

Outcomes

Pain

Ease of treatment

Keep appointments

Dental RCT

Bringing the sea into health care

Dental room

Virtual beach

Iced water

4

4,5

5

5,5

6

6,5

7

7,5

8

Experienced pain Recalled pain (+ 1 week)

Pai

n: 0

= N

on

e /

10

= U

nb

ear

able

Dental Room Virtual Beach

*

* p < .05; ** p < .01

Bringing the sea into health care

Dental room

Virtual beach

Iced water

4

4,5

5

5,5

6

6,5

7

7,5

8

Experienced pain Recalled pain (+ 1 week)

Pai

n: 0

= N

on

e /

10

= U

nb

ear

able

Dental Room Virtual Beach

**

*

* p < .05; ** p < .01

Coast & health: Main pathways

Exposure

to coast

< Stress

+ Physical

Health

> Exercise

< Pharmaceuticals

1) Other European countries?

2) What is the optimal dose?

3) How long do effects last?

4) What about children?

5) Environmental impact?

6) Comparisons to drugs (e.g. depression)?

Just some of the remaining questions

The team: Ian Alcock, Debbie Cracknell, Michael Depledge, Karin Dijkstra, Lewis Elliot, Lora

Fleming, Amanda Hignett, Rebecca Jenkin, Sabine Pahl, Cassie Phoenix, Jo Ross, John Rowe,

Tim Taylor, Chloe Thomas, Ben Wheeler, Kayleigh Wyles.

Contact - Mat White: mathew.white@exeter.ac.uk

www.ecehh.org.uk

Thanks very much for your attention

Health & well-being benefits from the coast

References

Ashbullby, K.J., Pahl, S. Webley, P. & White, M.P. (2013). The beach as a setting for families’ health

promotion: A qualitative study with parents and children living in coastal regions in Southwest England.

Revised & Resubmitted to Health & Place.

White, M.P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B.W. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Coastal proximity and health: A fixed

effects analysis of longitudinal panel data. Revised & Resubmitted to Health & Place Health & Place.

White, M.P., Pahl., S., Wheeler, B.W. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Coastal proximity and physical activity in

England. Manuscript under review

White, M.P., Pahl, S. Ashbullby, K.J., Herbert, S.& Depledge, M.H. (2013). Feelings of restoration from

recent nature visits. In press at Journal of Environmental Psychology.

White, M.P., Alcock, I., Wheeler, B.W. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener

urban area?: A fixed effects analysis of panel data. Psychological Science. DOI:

10.1177/0956797612464659

White, M.P., Cracknell, D., Corcoran, A., Jenkinson.G. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Do preferences for

waterscapes persist in inclement weather conditions and extend to sub-aquatic scenes? Landscape

Research. DOI:10.1080/01426397.2012.759919.

Wyles, K., Pahl, S., White, M.P., Morris, S., Cracknell, D. (2013). Enhancing the "Marine Mindset": The effects

of an aquarium visit and information booklet on attitudes and intentions about fish sustainability and marine

pollution. Visitor Studies, 16, 95-110.

Wheeler, B., White, M.P., Stahl-Timmins, W. & Depledge, M.H. (2012). Does living by the coast improve health

and wellbeing? Health & Place, 18, 1198-1201.

White, M.P., Smith, A., Humphryes, K., Pahl, S., Snelling, D. & Depledge, M. (2010) Blue space: The

importance of water for preference, affect and restorativeness ratings of natural and built scenes.

Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 482-493.

Health & well-being benefits from the coast