Children and Nature Initiative
“Evidence suggests that children and adults benefit so much from contact with nature that land conservation can now be viewed as a public health strategy.” [1] Howard Frumkin, MD, Dr.PH, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health/ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, CDC; Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods
Our children may be the first generation ever at risk of having a shorter lifespan than their parents [2]. Sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity have contributed greatly to the numerous health problems plaguing today’s children. Chronic conditions such as childhood obesity, asthma, and attention-deficit disorder have all increased over the past few decades [3]. These chronic conditions may lead to pulmonary, cardiovascular, and mental health problems in adulthood. Outdoor activity in the natural environment has taken a back seat to television, video games, the computer, and a demanding schoolwork schedule. Today’s youth are losing the contact with the natural environment that is extremely beneficial for their health and well-being.
Photos Courtesy of The Audubon Society
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages children to have unstructured, free play not only for their physical development, but also for their emotional, social, and cognitive development as well [4]. Being outdoors can:
- increase levels of physical activity in children[5];
- reduce childhood stress[6];
- aid in healthy childhood development [4];
- and serve as a coping mechanism for children with attention disorders such as attention-deficit disorder [7].
At the National Environmental Education Foundation, environmental educators, scientists and health care professionals are teaming up to reconnect children with nature. As part of our Children and Nature Initiative, we have compiled a comprehensive Fact Sheet (pdf) which contains highlights of published literature supporting the health benefits of the natural environment. Our Pediatric Environmental History Form contains questions to help health care providers assess the amount of time children spend outdoors and the amount of time they spend watching TV, using a computer, or playing video games.
NEEF is in the forefront of connecting the health community with the movement to reconnect children with nature. In partnership with the Society for Public Health Education, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we organized a webinar titled 'Reconnecting Children with Nature for Health Benefits!'. The webinar included a PowerPoint presentation by NEEF's advisor James R. Roberts, MD, MPH, entitled 'Improved Health from the Natural Environment: Where's the Evidence?'
NEEF encourages parents and caregivers to create opportunities for your children to play outside in a natural environment. Together we can teach them how to protect the environment and their health.
Listed below are various helpful resources
- National Public Lands Day
- National Environmental Education Week: Nature Centers
- Hands on the Land
- "Reconnecting Kids with Nature for Health Benefits!" Webinar (April 22, 2008)
- National Audubon Society
- Parks and Trails - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Green Hour® and Connecting Kids to Nature Report - National Wildlife Federation
- Exercise is Medicine
- Bureau of Land Management
- Let’s Go Outside! - US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Junior Park Rangers - National Park Service
- Climate change, water, and kids - US Forest Service
- Get Fit Great Falls
- Outdoor Activities for Families - Project Learning Tree
- Children and Nature Network
- Last Child in the Woods - by Richard Louv
Sources:
[1] Frumkin H & Louv R (2007). Land Trust Alliance Special Anniversary Report.
[2] Ludwig DS (2007). New England Journal of Medicine, 357(23): 2325-27.
[3] Perrin JM, Bloom SR & Gortmaker SL (2007). JAMA, 297(24): 2755-59.
[4] American Academy of Pediatrics- Clinical Report. Ginsburg KR, et al (2007). Pediatrics, 119(1): 182-191.
[5] American Academy of Pediatrics – Position Statement. Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, and Council on School Health (2006). Pediatrics, 117(5): 1834-42.
[6] Wells NM & Evans GW (2003). Environment and Behavior, 35(3): 311-330.
[7] Kuo FE & Taylor AF (2004). American Journal of Public Health, 94(9): 1580-86.