Viewing garden scenes: Interaction between gaze behavior and physiological responses

Previous research has shown that exposure to Japanese gardens reduces physiological measures of stress, e.g. heart rate, in both healthy subjects and dementia patients. However, the correlation between subjects’ physiological responses and their visual behavior while viewing the garden has not yet been investigated. To address this, we developed a system to collect simultaneous measurements of eye gaze and three physiological indicators of autonomic nervous system activity: electrocardiogram, blood volume pulse, and galvanic skin response. We recorded healthy subjects’ physiological/behavioral responses when they viewed two environments (an empty courtyard and a Japanese garden) in two ways (directly or as a projected 2D photograph). Similar to past work, we found that differences in subject’s physiological responses to the two environments when viewed directly, but not as a photograph. We also found differences in their behavioral responses. We quantified subject’s behavioral responses using several gaze metrics commonly considered to be measures of engagement of focus: average fixation duration, saccade amplitude, spatial entropy and gaze transition entropy. We found decrease in gaze transition entropy, the only metric that accounts for both the spatial and temporal properties of gaze, to have a weak positive correlation with decrease in heart rate. This suggests a relationship between engagement/focus and relaxation. Finally, we found gender differences: females’ gaze patterns were more spatially distributed and had higher transition entropy than males

Types and characteristics of urban and peri-urban green spaces having an impact on human mental health and wellbeing: a systematic review

Green spaces have been put forward as contributing to good mental health. In an urban context, space is a scarce resource while urbanisation and climate change are increasingly putting pressure on existing urban green space infrastructures and increasing morbidity caused by mental health disorders. Policy makers, designers, planners and other practitioners face the challenge of designing public open spaces as well as preserving and improving natural resources that are important for maintaining and optimizing human wellbeing. Knowing which types of blue and green spaces, with which characteristics, are most beneficial for mental health and wellbeing is critical. EKLIPSE received a request from the Ministry in charge of the Environment of France (MTES) to review: “Which types of urban and peri‐urban green and blue spaces, and which characteristics of such spaces, have a significant impact on human mental health and wellbeing?”. After a preliminary scoping, a decision was made to perform two systematic reviews (SR) assessing the specific types and characteristics of blue space (SR1) and green space (SR2) with respect to mental health and wellbeing. This report presents the systematic review for green space (SR2)

Nature Based Interventions for Human Health and Wellbeing

Background. Nature exposure is beneficial to human health and wellbeing, but the evidence base for nature-based interventions (NBI) is still developing. Heterogeneous naming conventions, study designs, and intervention contexts create difficulty in accessing and assessing the evidence for such programming. While NBI have been utilized in a wide array of human populations, no interventions have been reported among clinical health professions students. Aims. The objectives of this dissertation project were to review the existing body of NBI literature exploring health and wellbeing outcomes, and to conduct a feasibility trial of forest bathing, a type of NBI, among clinical students. Specifically, this study aimed to: (Aim 1) conduct a scoping review to (1) identify the different nomenclature used to define NBI, (2) describe the NBI utilized and the contexts in which they occurred, and (3) describe the methodologies used in studies of NBI; (Aim 2) assess the feasibility of implementing a pilot forest bathing intervention for stress management among clinical health professions students; and (Aim 3) assess the preliminary effectiveness of a pilot forest bathing intervention for stress management among clinical health professions students. Methods. (Aim 1) A scoping review was conducted following a prospectively published protocol and adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global for studies on NBI in humans. Dual independent screening and single-author data abstraction were conducted. (Aims 2 and 3) A single-arm feasibility trial of a six-week forest bathing intervention was conducted. Proctored, self-guided sessions were held on weekday afternoons in a local arboretum. The protocol was prospectively registered and CONSORT reporting guidelines were followed. Participants were clinical students enrolled in a public university in the United States. Aim 2 used qualitative (surveys, focus group, and researcher observation) and quantitative (surveys) methods to assess the feasibility of implementing the program. Aim 3 used quantitative survey data to explore preliminary effectiveness measures: perceived stress, attitudes toward spending time in nature (TSN), self-efficacy TSN, and intentions TSN. Results. (Aim 1) A total of 406 papers comprising 416 reported studies were included. Multi-day programs, repeated short-session programs, and single short-session programs comprised the sample. NBI were reported in 36 countries and published as dissertations and peer-reviewed papers in 160 journals. 155 unique NBI names were reported. (Aim 2) 413 students were invited to participate in the program, and 13 students enrolled. Seven individuals participated in at least one session; of those attending at least once, five (71.4%) attended at least five of the six sessions. Measures and data collection methods were well-received and reliably reported. Interpersonal commitment was a primary facilitator to participation, and time constraints were a key barrier. (Aim 3) Participants reported positive affective impacts during 63.6% (n=21) of sessions, and present stress declined significantly over a single 40-minute session (p=0.0007). Over the course of the study and into follow-up, stress decreased by half of a point on the Perceived Stress-10 scale per week (p=0.0308). Participating enrollees and non-participating enrollees may have differed on baseline perceived stress, baseline positive attitudes TSN, and time spent in nature in the week prior to enrollment. Conclusion. (Aim 1) Taken on the whole, NBI are highly diverse in design and reporting. The field of research would be strengthened by the development of (1) consistent naming conventions and (2) NBI-specific reporting guidelines (i.e., a checklist). (Aims 2 and 3) While recruitment proved challenging in this population, preliminary evidence suggests that forest bathing or other NBI may be acceptable and beneficial for clinical students experiencing stress. Further feasibility work should explore weekend-based NBI programming offering guided activities

The Psychological Effects of Park Therapy Components on Campus Landscape Preferences

COVID-19 has doubled the prevalence of mental health problems among young adults. In Indonesia, it extends the vulnerability of families, increases economic uncertainty, interrupts food security, and affects psychological well-being. Accordingly, this research examined the correlation between psychological effects and preferred landscape elements. Experiments were conducted in a campus park, arboretum, and a road. Participants captured attractive views during the walk using the Visitor-Employed Photography method and evaluated psychological effects using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) pre-and post-walking. Google Cloud Vision API was used to get the image annotation keywords. The results indicated a correlation between psychological effects and preferred landscape elements. Park therapy components, including plant, flower, and sky, were negatively correlated with negative moods and anxiety levels. These findings presented scientific evidence for the psychological relaxation outcome of walking and prominent components of park therapy to support therapeutic campus greenspace planning

Healing Spaces

The field of design and health, formerly known as the domain of healthcare design professionals, has now reached a turning point with the proliferation of a plethora of non-invasive wearable technologies, to provide the objective and near-real-time measurement of the impact of many features of the built environment on aspects of health, wellbeing and performance. In turn, new materials and the Internet of Things are allowing the development of smart buildings, which can interact with occupants to optimize their health, wellbeing, performance and overall experience. Companies that have previously focused on positioning themselves as “green” are now turning to positioning themselves in the marketplace as both green and healthy. This Special Issue will include articles that address new cutting edge technologies and materials at the interface between design and health, and review some of the latest findings related to studies which use these technologies. This SI will also suggest exciting future directions for the field. It will include articles which focus on the objective data gathered to document the effects of the built environment on health. Importantly, it will focus on the use of innovative methods of measurement, such as state-of-the-art wearable and environmental sensors, quantifying some aspects of health, such as stress and relaxation responses, activity, posture, sleep quality, cognitive performance and wellbeing outcomes. It will also examine the impacts of different elements of the built environment on these health and wellbeing outcomes. The published articles will focus on the design interventions informed by these measurements, along with innovative integrated building materials that can shape the design of built environments for better health, productivity, and performance. It will also address the return on investment (ROI) of such design interventions. This Special Issue will provide both the foundational knowledge and fundamentals for characterizing human health and wellbeing in the built environment, as well as the emerging trends and design methods for innovations in this field

Master\u27s Thesis and Field Study Abstracts, July 1998-June 2000

This publication, the fifteenth in a series which began in 1957, contains the abstracts of Master\u27s Theses and Field Studies completed by graduate students of St. Cloud State University. The bulletin contains those theses and field studies completed during the period from July of 1998 through June of 2000. A bound copy of each thesis or field study is on file in the James W. Miller Learning Resources Center, which houses the library on this campus. The library copy of each thesis and field study is available for use on an interlibrary loan basis. Copies of this bulletin may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies, 121 Administrative Services, St. Cloud State University, 720 S. Fourth Avenue, St. Cloud, Minnesota, 56301-4498

Health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature on urban young adults

https://www.ester.ee/record=b5458440*es

Harnessing Nature for Occupational Therapy: Interventions and Health Promotion

Literature is beginning to emerge which states that participation in natural environments can be restorative, provide much needed physical activity and assist with health promotion and prevention of illness. Theories such as Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan, 1995) and Biophilia Hypothesis (Wilson, 1993) support the benefits for participation in natural outdoor environments. Health benefits of participation in nature including accessing Vitamin D, improving balance, attention restoration, reduced myopia, stress reduction are widely present in literature. Despite the health benefits of participation in nature, occupational therapists rarely complete interventions in the natural environment. Principles of adult learning and occupational adaptation were used to create a 12-hour continuing education for occupational therapists to develop skills to use in natural outdoor practice. Data was collected from course previews, surveys about continuing education at sea and using principles of adult learning to create the course and utilize a new format ReLAP, in which continuing education focuses on reflection on current practice, learning new information relevant to intervention, applying and planning to use that information in practice

Manifesto for a European research network into Problematic Usage of the Internet

Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The Internet is now all-pervasive across much of the globe. While it has positive uses (e.g. prompt access to information, rapid news dissemination), many individuals develop Problematic Use of the Internet (PUI), an umbrella term incorporating a range of repetitive impairing behaviours. The Internet can act as a conduit for, and may contribute to, functionally impairing behaviours including excessive and compulsive video gaming, compulsive sexual behaviour, buying, gambling, streaming or social networks use. There is growing public and National health authority concern about the health and societal costs of PUI across the lifespan. Gaming Disorder is being considered for inclusion as a mental disorder in diagnostic classification systems, and was listed in the ICD-11 version released for consideration by Member States (http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/revision/timeline/en/). More research is needed into disorder definitions, validation of clinical tools, prevalence, clinical parameters, brain-based biology, socio-health-economic impact, and empirically validated intervention and policy approaches. Potential cultural differences in the magnitudes and natures of types and patterns of PUI need to be better understood, to inform optimal health policy and service development. To this end, the EU under Horizon 2020 has launched a new four-year European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action Programme (CA 16207), bringing together scientists and clinicians from across the fields of impulsive, compulsive, and addictive disorders, to advance networked interdisciplinary research into PUI across Europe and beyond, ultimately seeking to inform regulatory policies and clinical practice. This paper describes nine critical and achievable research priorities identified by the Network, needed in order to advance understanding of PUI, with a view towards identifying vulnerable individuals for early intervention. The network shall enable collaborative research networks, shared multinational databases, multicentre studies and joint publications.Peer reviewe