Lockdown has had a huge impact on people lives. This has been imposed on the nation to prevent the spread of the disease. However, concerns have been raised over the state of people’s mental health (Armitage and Nellums, 2020). In particular, concerns have been raised over the links between loneliness and mental health (Armitage and Nellums, 2020), over stigmatisation (Jiloha, 2020) and future uncertainties relating to work and finances (Zhang et al., 2020). Research undertaken in Wuhan in February 2020 - the start of the Covid19 pandemic showed that 54% of the population considered that the coronavirus outbreak had a moderate or severe impact on their wellbeing (Ho Su Hui et al., 2020). Within a month of the country shutting down, it was clear that the isolation was causing a significant increase in mental health problems (Qiu et al., 2020).
The WHO raised this as an early concern (WHO, 2020) and the UK government issued guidance to address mental health during lockdown (Gov.uk, 2020). More recently UK based research has shown that the mental health of the population declined during lockdown (Dawson and Golijani-Moghaddam, 2020; Groarkea et al., 2020; Smith et al., 2020), with a disproportionate number of women and young people being impacted (Etheridge and Spantig, 2020; Smith et al., 2020).
Therefore, it is imperative that activities, learning events and social experiences are able to continue for the sake of people’s mental wellbeing. Evidence based methods by which this can be achieved includes green wellbeing, described as an increase in physical or mental health through interaction with nature and the natural environment (Thompson et al., 2012; Bell et al., 2015). Green wellbeing has been shown repeatedly to have a significant positive impact on people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. Lovell, Depledge and Maxwell (2018) in a review commissioned by DEFRA concluded that “There is strong and consistent evidence for mental health and wellbeing benefits arising from exposure to natural environments, including reductions in psychological stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression” (p8) They further listed benefits ranging from reduced mortality, increased immunity, increased pre and post-natal health and more favourable “heart rate; blood pressure; vitamin D levels; recuperation rates; and cortisol levels and… lower prevalence of diabetes type 2” (Lovell, Depledge and Maxwell, 2018 p8).
However there needs to be a balance between addressing mental wellbeing and the need to keep physically healthy. Fortunately, one way to decrease the likelihood of catching Covid 19 is to aim to be outdoors as much as possible. There is reduced likelihood of catching the virus outside because;
References
Armitage, R. and Nellums, L. B. (2020) ‘COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly’. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30061-X.
Bell, S. L. et al. (2015) ‘Seeking everyday wellbeing: The coast as a therapeutic landscape’. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.08.011.
Dawson, E. and Jensen, E. (2011) ‘Contextual approaches to visitor studies research: Evaluating audience segmentation and identity-related motivations*’, Visitor Studies, 14(2), pp. 127–140. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c664/5440f3aec7e04ddd2417b987c2a2e1b3bee0.pdf (Accessed: 3 February 2019).
Eslami, H. and Jalili, M. (2020) ‘The role of environmental factors to transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)’, AMB Express. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 10(1). doi: 10.1186/s13568-020-01028-0.
Etheridge, Ben and Spantig, Lisa (2020) The gender gap in mental well-being during the Covid-19 outbreak: evidence from the UK preprint - University of Essex
Fiorillo, L. et al. (2020) ‘COVID-19 surface persistence: A recent data summary and its importance for medical and dental settings’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9). doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093132.
Gillis, K. (2020) ‘Nature-based restorative environments are needed now more than ever’, CITIES & HEALTH, 00. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2020.1796401.
Gladwell, V. F. et al. (2013) ‘The great outdoors: How a green exercise environment can benefit all’, Extreme Physiology and Medicine, 2(3), pp. 1–7. doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-2-3.
Gov.UK (2020) Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do - GOV.UK, Gov.Uk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus (Accessed: 4 April 2020).
Green. Juliette (2018) Opportunities for Environmental Education across the National Curriculum for England. Available at: www.naee.org.uk. (Accessed: 17 August 2020).
Groarkea Jenny, Berrya, Emma, Graham-Wisenera Lisa, McKenna-Plumleya Phoebe, McGlinchey Emily, and Armoura Cherie (2020) Loneliness in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional results from The COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study, Preprint, Queen’s University Belfast
Guasp, M., Laredo, C. and Urra, X. (2020) ‘Higher solar irradiance is associated with a lower incidence of COVID-19’, Clinical Infectious Diseases, (mm), pp. 2019–2021. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa575.
Ho Su Hui, C. et al. (2020) Mental Health Strategies to Combat the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Beyond Paranoia and Panic.
Jiloha, R. C. (2020) ‘COVID-19 and Mental Health’, Epidem Int, 5(1), pp. 7–9. doi: 10.24321/2455.7048.202002.
Lanham-New, S. A. et al. (2020) ‘Vitamin D and SARS-CoV-2 virus/COVID-19 disease’, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 3(1), pp. 106–110. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000089.
Lovell, R. et al. (2015) ‘Understanding how environmental enhancement and conservation activities may benefit health and wellbeing: A systematic review Environmental health’, BMC Public Health. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2214-3.
Lovell, R., Depledge, M. and Maxwell, S. (2018) Health and the natural environment: A review of evidence, policy, practice and opportunities for the future. Available at: http://randd.defra.gov.uk. (Accessed: 9 December 2018).
Qiu, J. et al. (2020) ‘A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations’, General Psychiatry, 33, p. 100213. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213.
Rakhshandehroo, M. et al. (2015) ‘THE SOCIALBENEFITS OF URBAN OPEN GREEN SPACES: A LITERATURE REVIEW’, Management Research and Practice, 7(4), pp. 60–71.
Ratnesar-Shumate, S. et al. (2020) ‘Simulated Sunlight Rapidly Inactivates SARS-CoV-2 on Surfaces’, The Journal of infectious diseases, 222(2), pp. 214–222. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa274.
Smith, L., Jacob, L., Yakkundi, A., McDermott, D., Armstrong, N. C., Barnett, Y., López-Sánchez, G. F., Martin, S., Butler, L., & Tully, M. A. (2020). Correlates of symptoms of anxiety and depression and mental wellbeing associated with COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of UK-based respondents. Psychiatry research, 291, 113138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113138
Thompson, C. W. et al. (2012) ‘More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from salivary cortisol patterns’, Landscape and Urban Planning, 105, pp. 221–229. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.12.015.
Zhang, J. W., Howell, R. T. and Iyer, R. (2014) ‘Engagement with natural beauty moderates the positive relation between connectedness with nature and psychological well-being’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, pp. 55–63. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.12.013.
Zhang, S. X. et al. (2020) ‘Unprecedented disruptions of lives and work-a survey of the health, distress and life satisfaction of working adults in China one month into the COVID-19 outbreak’. doi: 10.1101/2020.03.13.20034496.
The WHO raised this as an early concern (WHO, 2020) and the UK government issued guidance to address mental health during lockdown (Gov.uk, 2020). More recently UK based research has shown that the mental health of the population declined during lockdown (Dawson and Golijani-Moghaddam, 2020; Groarkea et al., 2020; Smith et al., 2020), with a disproportionate number of women and young people being impacted (Etheridge and Spantig, 2020; Smith et al., 2020).
Therefore, it is imperative that activities, learning events and social experiences are able to continue for the sake of people’s mental wellbeing. Evidence based methods by which this can be achieved includes green wellbeing, described as an increase in physical or mental health through interaction with nature and the natural environment (Thompson et al., 2012; Bell et al., 2015). Green wellbeing has been shown repeatedly to have a significant positive impact on people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. Lovell, Depledge and Maxwell (2018) in a review commissioned by DEFRA concluded that “There is strong and consistent evidence for mental health and wellbeing benefits arising from exposure to natural environments, including reductions in psychological stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression” (p8) They further listed benefits ranging from reduced mortality, increased immunity, increased pre and post-natal health and more favourable “heart rate; blood pressure; vitamin D levels; recuperation rates; and cortisol levels and… lower prevalence of diabetes type 2” (Lovell, Depledge and Maxwell, 2018 p8).
However there needs to be a balance between addressing mental wellbeing and the need to keep physically healthy. Fortunately, one way to decrease the likelihood of catching Covid 19 is to aim to be outdoors as much as possible. There is reduced likelihood of catching the virus outside because;
- Outside there is greater exposure to sun, which has been shown to decrease the half-life of the virus outside of the body (Eslami and Jalili, 2020; Guasp, Laredo and Urra, 2020; Ratnesar-Shumate et al., 2020),
- An increase of vitamin D (from sun exposure, which can be achieved even on dull days) has been correlated with a shorter illness from coronavirus (Lanham-New et al., 2020).
- The virus survives less time on natural material such as wood than it does on plastics and metals (Eslami and Jalili, 2020; Fiorillo et al., 2020);
- Social distancing is more possible in the outdoor environment;
- The relatively wide space allows for rapid dispersal of the virus.
References
Armitage, R. and Nellums, L. B. (2020) ‘COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly’. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30061-X.
Bell, S. L. et al. (2015) ‘Seeking everyday wellbeing: The coast as a therapeutic landscape’. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.08.011.
Dawson, E. and Jensen, E. (2011) ‘Contextual approaches to visitor studies research: Evaluating audience segmentation and identity-related motivations*’, Visitor Studies, 14(2), pp. 127–140. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c664/5440f3aec7e04ddd2417b987c2a2e1b3bee0.pdf (Accessed: 3 February 2019).
Eslami, H. and Jalili, M. (2020) ‘The role of environmental factors to transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)’, AMB Express. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 10(1). doi: 10.1186/s13568-020-01028-0.
Etheridge, Ben and Spantig, Lisa (2020) The gender gap in mental well-being during the Covid-19 outbreak: evidence from the UK preprint - University of Essex
Fiorillo, L. et al. (2020) ‘COVID-19 surface persistence: A recent data summary and its importance for medical and dental settings’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9). doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093132.
Gillis, K. (2020) ‘Nature-based restorative environments are needed now more than ever’, CITIES & HEALTH, 00. doi: 10.1080/23748834.2020.1796401.
Gladwell, V. F. et al. (2013) ‘The great outdoors: How a green exercise environment can benefit all’, Extreme Physiology and Medicine, 2(3), pp. 1–7. doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-2-3.
Gov.UK (2020) Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do - GOV.UK, Gov.Uk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus (Accessed: 4 April 2020).
Green. Juliette (2018) Opportunities for Environmental Education across the National Curriculum for England. Available at: www.naee.org.uk. (Accessed: 17 August 2020).
Groarkea Jenny, Berrya, Emma, Graham-Wisenera Lisa, McKenna-Plumleya Phoebe, McGlinchey Emily, and Armoura Cherie (2020) Loneliness in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional results from The COVID-19 Psychological Wellbeing Study, Preprint, Queen’s University Belfast
Guasp, M., Laredo, C. and Urra, X. (2020) ‘Higher solar irradiance is associated with a lower incidence of COVID-19’, Clinical Infectious Diseases, (mm), pp. 2019–2021. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa575.
Ho Su Hui, C. et al. (2020) Mental Health Strategies to Combat the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Beyond Paranoia and Panic.
Jiloha, R. C. (2020) ‘COVID-19 and Mental Health’, Epidem Int, 5(1), pp. 7–9. doi: 10.24321/2455.7048.202002.
Lanham-New, S. A. et al. (2020) ‘Vitamin D and SARS-CoV-2 virus/COVID-19 disease’, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, 3(1), pp. 106–110. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000089.
Lovell, R. et al. (2015) ‘Understanding how environmental enhancement and conservation activities may benefit health and wellbeing: A systematic review Environmental health’, BMC Public Health. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2214-3.
Lovell, R., Depledge, M. and Maxwell, S. (2018) Health and the natural environment: A review of evidence, policy, practice and opportunities for the future. Available at: http://randd.defra.gov.uk. (Accessed: 9 December 2018).
Qiu, J. et al. (2020) ‘A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations’, General Psychiatry, 33, p. 100213. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213.
Rakhshandehroo, M. et al. (2015) ‘THE SOCIALBENEFITS OF URBAN OPEN GREEN SPACES: A LITERATURE REVIEW’, Management Research and Practice, 7(4), pp. 60–71.
Ratnesar-Shumate, S. et al. (2020) ‘Simulated Sunlight Rapidly Inactivates SARS-CoV-2 on Surfaces’, The Journal of infectious diseases, 222(2), pp. 214–222. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa274.
Smith, L., Jacob, L., Yakkundi, A., McDermott, D., Armstrong, N. C., Barnett, Y., López-Sánchez, G. F., Martin, S., Butler, L., & Tully, M. A. (2020). Correlates of symptoms of anxiety and depression and mental wellbeing associated with COVID-19: a cross-sectional study of UK-based respondents. Psychiatry research, 291, 113138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113138
Thompson, C. W. et al. (2012) ‘More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: Evidence from salivary cortisol patterns’, Landscape and Urban Planning, 105, pp. 221–229. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.12.015.
Zhang, J. W., Howell, R. T. and Iyer, R. (2014) ‘Engagement with natural beauty moderates the positive relation between connectedness with nature and psychological well-being’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38, pp. 55–63. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.12.013.
Zhang, S. X. et al. (2020) ‘Unprecedented disruptions of lives and work-a survey of the health, distress and life satisfaction of working adults in China one month into the COVID-19 outbreak’. doi: 10.1101/2020.03.13.20034496.
