Mental Health Effects of Exposure to Nature During COVID-19 Lockdown

Mental health is a crucial aspect that needs to be addressed during COVID-19 lock-down as all modes of communication revolve around the virus. A study by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) and the Instituto de Saúde Pública of the University of Porto (ISPUP) in Environment International concludes that exposing to natural spaces during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 beneficial for the mental health of Spanish and Portuguese citizens.

Dr Ana Isabel Ribeiro, researcher at the ISPUP and first author of the work together with Margarita Triguero-Mas from the ICTA-UAB says that "we decided to study whether natural, public and private spaces had a beneficial effect on the mental health of Portuguese and Spanish citizens, helping them to better cope with the negative effects of lockdown".

Though previous articles have proven the positive impact of exposure to natural spaces on mental health, this study reveals people enjoying exposure to natural spaces during the first COVID-19 lockdown show better mental health indicators.

Spanish citizens benefited good mental health from exposure to nature than Portuguese, even though Spain applied stricter measures to restrict mobility than Portugal.

Public authorities and decision-makers can implement measures in the context of a pandemic as public health crisis to facilitate access to natural public spaces in a safe and controlled manner.

This is important for the most socially and economically vulnerable population groups, and for those who have little access to these spaces in their private context.

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Source-Medindia