Category Background
Nature on prescription for mental health trial: Feasibility stage
Ruth, Becca, Kerryn and a team from Exeter and Plymouth Universities have been awarded funds by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to conduct a feasibility study of nature based activities reached through social prescribing. The work will help prepare for a full Randomised Controlled Trial which will help clarify whether such activities are […]
New UKPRP research funding: how urban greenspaces can contribute to tackling health inequalities
A team from ECEHH are part of a new £7.1m consortium funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) to investigate the impact that nature can have in helping to prevent and reduce health inequalities in urban areas. Photo by Charles Parker from Pexels The project will be led by Dr Ruth Hunter Queen’s University […]
Informing environmental investment for health and wellbeing
We’re excited to announce the launch of a new research project at ECEHH, ‘Informing environmental investment for health and wellbeing’ funded by the South West Partnership for Environmental and Economic Prosperity (SWEEP). SWEEP is a collaborative initiative which brings academics, businesses and policy makers together to solve some of the many challenges involved in managing […]
Therapeutic Nature: Call for Evidence
We are looking for information on nature based therapies for people with diagnosed mental health conditions from anyone involved with the commissioning, referral or delivery of the interventions. Call for Evidence Are you involved in delivering or referring to nature-based therapies aimed at people with diagnosed mental health conditions? If so, the European Centre for Environment […]
Paper on the potential of healthy urban microbiome initiatives
Becca has co-authored a paper with colleagues from the Universities of Tasmania and Adelaide and Public Health Dorset highlighting the potential of urban microbiome initiatives for promoting public health. In the paper we suggest that: “…Urban green spaces have a clear benefit to both environmental and human health. The mechanisms behind this connection are not […]
What is health?
Becca is leading a new piece of work focusing on demystifying the concept of ‘health’. The work forms part of the the five year, £6.5m Valuing Nature Programme. The Valuing Nature Programme (VNP) is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Arts […]
New NIHR funded project: green and blue spaces and mental health outcomes
Ben, Mat and Becca are collaborating on a newly funded National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research project which will investigate whether changes in the green and blue spaces we are exposed to effect long-term wellbeing and mental health. The collaboration is led by Dr Sarah Rodgers, Associate Professor at Swansea University Medical […]
BlueHealth: mapping and quantifying the potential benefits of Europe’s blue spaces to public health and wellbeing
Our colleagues working on the Horizon 2020 funded Blue Health project have published a protocol detailing the aims and methods of the project. The Blue Health project is led by Professor Lora Fleming and brings together a multi-disciplinary consortium to investigate how aquatic environments affect the health of Europe’s population. The research aims to understand […]
Designing and delivering effective urban green space interventions
There is a substantial evidence base to support using nature to enhance wellbeing, particularly within urban settings. However, when it comes to translating this evidence into on-ground action and using nature or green space within our cities as a public health intervention, it can raise a lot of questions. For example, what type of green space […]
Using social media data to track health and wellbeing impacts of pollen and air pollution
We have started work on a new ESRC funded project which will develop and evaluate prototype “social sensing” tools that use social media data to monitor environmental triggers (pollen and air pollution) for asthma and hayfever. We aim to help build the evidence base for the feasibility of the use of social sensing in an […]
Beyond Greenspace 