Jo Barton

University of Essex · School of Biological Sciences

Nature-based interventions (NBIs) are becoming a common mental health care referral option; however, little is known about the barriers to participation. Research reveals a concentration of evidence on the practical barriers with a paucity of guidance on the personal barriers as experienced by service users. This review explores what is known on th...

Background: Exposure to green space and feeling connected to the natural environment have independently been associated with improved mental health outcomes. During the coronavirus pandemic, people experienced restrictions on access to the outdoors, and health data indicated a decline in mental health in the UK general population. Methods: Data...

The UK government has invested £5.77 million in green social prescribing to prevent and tackle mental ill-health. Therapeutic community gardening, one type of green social prescription, provides a range of health outcomes. However, for increased accessibility, a greater understanding of how it impacts mental health and the facilitators and barriers...

Background: literature on the mental health benefits of therapeutic community gardening is not specific to individuals with mental illness and reports short-term outcomes. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on intervention effectiveness is also unknown. This study examined the impact of therapeutic community gardening prior to and across the p...

Purpose of review: Mental illness is a global challenge, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Research suggests access to local green spaces is associated with better mental health, yet access is not always equitable. Evaluation of how nature-based interventions protect and support mental health is therefore required. Recent findings: Access...

The impact of environmental context on the psychological benefits derived from physical activity has attracted research attention in recent years. Previous reviews have compared effects of indoor versus outdoor exercise. This review compares the effects of physical activity undertaken in outdoor green natural environments versus outdoor urban envir...

Burnout is, besides a global, complex phenomenon, a public health issue with negative consequences on personal, organizational, social, and economic levels. This paper outlines the co-design of a novel Nature-based Burnout Coaching intervention, called NABUCO. Due to the complexity of burnout, we propose a One Health approach in healthcare, educati...

Rosenberg's scale (RSES) is widely used to assess global self-esteem (SE) in adults and adolescents but is not validated for children <12 years. This study assessed the internal consistency, convergent validity, and factor structure of a modified RSES for schoolchildren (CRSES) aged 7–12 years. A total of 711 children aged 9.0 ± 1.5 years completed...

This study assessed physical activity (PA) and wellbeing during lockdown. UK adults reported their PA in the previous week, perception of PA importance (more, less, same) and wellbeing, depression, anxiety and stress. One-way ANOVA compared PA and wellbeing by PA importance. The 'less' importance group did less PA than the 'more' and 'same' (p < 0....

A number of countries have begun to adopt prevention pays policies and practices to reduce pressure on health and social care systems. Most affluent countries have seen substantial increases in the incidence and costs of non-communicable diseases. The interest in social models for health has led to the growth in use of social prescribing and psycho...

Background: During the UK coronavirus restrictions, individuals were limited to one bout of daily physical activity (PA). This study aimed to analyse the impact of the UK coronavirus lockdown on PA and wellbeing measures. Methods: UK adults participated in an online survey reporting their average weekly PA prior to lockdown, alongside the previous...

This study investigated the efficacy of medium-term Green Exercise (GE; being physically active within a natural environment) interventions for improving wellbeing, by pooling data collected at the start and end of participants’ engagement with a range of GE interventions. Hypotheses were that (i) interventions would show good efficacy for improvin...

Conservation organizations are increasingly aware of the need to motivate pro‐environmental behavior by connecting people with nature. However, to maximize the effectiveness of the limited resources available, there needs to be a better understanding of the variability in people's connection to nature shown at different ages. We examined connection...

This exploratory study enhances previous research into green exercise and addresses a gap in the research by exploring the contribution of individual and combined senses in the recovery of mood and stress after a psychological stressor, whilst rigorously controlling exercise intensity. The hypotheses were: (i) recovery of mood and stress from a sta...

There is an urgent global need for accessible and cost-effective pro-mental health infrastructure. Public green spaces were officially designated in the 19th century, informed by a belief that they might provide health benefits. We outline modern research evidence that greenspace can play a pivotal role in population-level mental health.

We propose a Green Mind Theory (GMT) to link the human mind with the brain and body, and connect the body into natural and social environments. The processes are reciprocal: environments shape bodies, brains, and minds, minds change body behaviours that shape the external environment. GMT offers routes to improved individual well-being whilst build...

This study addressed a methodological gap by comparing psychological and social outcomes of exercise in green outdoors versus built indoors settings, whilst rigorously controlling exercise mode and intensity. The hypotheses were that greater improvements or more desirable values for directed attention, mood, perceived exertion, social interaction t...

It is well understood that wilderness expeditions improve well-being; however, there is little supporting quantitative data. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of wilderness expeditions on self-esteem (SE) and connectedness to nature (CN) and assess whether benefits varied according to participant and expedition characteristics. SE and...

This study’s aim was to identify the relative contribution of sight, sound and smell to the Green Exercise effect. It was hypothesised that visual occlusion while exercising in a natural environment would have the greatest diminishing effect on perceived exertion and mood compared to auditory and olfactory occlusion. Twenty-nine healthy participant...

Green exercise research often reports psychological health outcomes without rigorously controlling exercise. This study examines effects of visual exercise environments on directed attention, perceived exertion and time to exhaustion, whilst measuring and controlling the exercise component. Participants completed three experimental conditions in a...

'Green exercise' (GE) is physical activity while simultaneously being exposed to nature. GE comprises three physical components: the individual, the exercise and the environment, and one processes component encompassing a range of psychological and physiological processes. Previous research has consistently shown affective benefits of GE compared t...

Increases in gross domestic product (GDP) beyond a threshold of basic needs do not lead to further increases in well-being. An explanation is that material consumption (MC) also results in negative health externalities. We assess how these externalities influence six factors critical for well-being: (i) healthy food; (ii) active body; (iii) healthy...

School playtime provides daily opportunities for children to be active outdoors, but only makes small contributions to physical activity (PA) requirements. Natural environments facilitate unstructured PA and children report a preference for play in nature. Thus, play on the school field might encourage children to be more active during playtime. Th...

School playtime provides opportunities for children to engage in physical activity (PA). Playground playtime interventions designed to increase PA have produced differing results. However, nature can also promote PA, through the provision of large open spaces for activity. The purpose of this study is to determine which playtime interventions are m...

The primary aim of this study was to examine the impact of physical activity (PA) in the natural environment (eg, "green exercise") on resting autonomic function in the Walks4Work intervention. A secondary aim was to assess the feasibility of Walks4Work in terms of adherence, change in PA levels, and cardiovascular health parameters. In an 8-week r...

Natural environments promote physical activity (PA) and are psychologically restorative. In adults, performing PA in nature provides additive benefits for self-esteem (SE). Studies in adolescents indicate no such effect. However, they have not examined the effect of interaction with natural environments. The aim of this study was to analyse the eff...

Exercising in natural, green environments creates greater improvements in adult's self-esteem than exercise undertaken in urban or indoor settings. No comparable data are available for children. The aim of this study was to determine whether so called 'green exercise' affected changes in self-esteem; enjoyment and perceived exertion in children dif...

A randomized cross-over study explored whether viewing different scenes prior to a stressor altered autonomic function during the recovery from the stressor. The two scenes were a) nature (composed of trees, grass, fields) or b) built (composed of man-made, urban scenes lacking natural characteristics) environments. Autonomic function was assessed...

The studies of human and environment interactions usually consider the extremes of environment on individuals or how humans affect the environment. It is well known that physical activity improves both physiological and psychological well-being, but further evidence is required to ascertain how different environments influence and shape health. Thi...

Mental ill-health, obesity, physical inactivity and cardiovascular disease are all on the increase, along with a growing trend towards urbanised living. However, exposure to nature and greenspace positively affects health and well-being. Thus, some of these health challenges could be addressed by providing accessible urban and rural spaces for recr...

This study assessed whether exercising whilst viewing natural or built scenes affected self-esteem (SE) and mood in adolescents. Twenty-five adolescents participated in three exercise tests on consecutive days. A graded exercise test established the work rate equivalent to 50% heart rate reserve for use in subsequent constant load tests (CLTs). Par...

Positive effects of green exercise on physical and psychological wellbeing have been found, yet little is known about the underlying cognitive mechanisms responsible for such effects. The purpose of this visual sensation study was to establish the extent to which the color green, as a primitive visual feature of many natural environments, contribut...

Background Following recruitment of a private sector company, an 8 week lunchtime walking intervention was implemented to examine the effect of the intervention on modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors, and further to see if walking environment had any further effect on the cardiovascular disease risk factors. Methods For phase 1 of the s...

This study evaluated two existing group-based health promotion initiatives (a social club and a swimming group) and compared these to a new green exercise programme (weekly countryside and urban park walks). Participants represented a clinical population (N = 53) and were all experiencing a range of mental health problems. They only attended one of...

Previously studies have shown that nature improves mood and self-esteem and reduces blood pressure. Walking within a natural environment has been suggested to alter autonomic nervous system control, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive method of assessing autonomic control and can give an insig...

There is evidence for lower physical activity (PA) in rural adults; it is important to evaluate how the environment influences the PA of children and adolescents. We compared the PA of 6485 English 10-15.9 year olds according to two systems for classifying the immediate environment. System one compared urban and rural areas. System two compared urb...

Objective To compare the effects on mental and physical wellbeing, health related quality of life and long term adherence to physical activity, of participation in physical activity in natural environments compared with physical activity indoors. Design Systematic review. Data sources Medline, Embase, Psychinfo, GreenFILE, SportDISCUS, The Cochrane...

This is the urban century in which, for the first time, the majority of people live in towns and cities. Understanding how people influence, and are influenced by, the 'green' component of these environments is therefore of enormous significance. Providing an overview of the essentials of urban ecology, the book begins by covering the vital backgro...

To review the available literature assessing differences in physical activity levels of children living in different built environments classified according to land use within developed countries. A systematic review of published literature up to March 2009. Online searches of five databases yielded 18 studies which met inclusion criteria. Studies...

Green exercise is activity in the presence of nature. Evidence shows it leads to positive short and long-term health outcomes. This multistudy analysis assessed the best regime of dose(s) of acute exposure to green exercise required to improve self-esteem and mood (indicators of mental health). The research used meta-analysis methodology to analyze...

Lifestyles are increasingly characterised by sedentary behaviour, obesity problems, stress, mental ill-health and disconnection from nature. However, contact with nature has been shown to improve psychological health by reducing stress, enhancing mood and replenishing mental fatigue. In addition to providing a range of environmental services, green...

There is increasing evidence for the positive role of nature in human health, particularly in the light of the increase in sedentary lifestyles and the emergence of growing health concerns over obesity, coronary heart disease (CHD) and mental illness. This paper addresses the links between contact with nature and improved health and wellbeing, intr...

There is evidence that contact with the natural environment and green space promotes good health. It is also well known that participation in regular physical activity generates physical and psychological health benefits. The authors have hypothesised that 'green exercise' will improve health and psychological well-being, yet few studies have quant...

Both physical activity and exposure to nature are known separately to have positive effects on physical and mental health. We have investigated whether there is a synergistic benefit in adopting physical activities whilst being directly exposed to nature ('green exercise'). Five groups of 20 subjects were exposed to a sequence of 30 scenes projecte...