PDF: Health and Natural Environments - An evidence based information pack

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Natural England. (2012). Health and natural environments –an evidence based information pack.

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Summary Why should the natural environment form an integral part of public health? Context Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England, builds on Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS. It outlines the Governments‘ commitment to protecting our population from serious health threats and adopts the life course framework for tackling the wider social determinants of health. The environment (natural and built) is explicitly recognised as a determinant of health. It states that:

"The quality of the environment around us also affects any community. Pollution, air quality, noise, the availability of green and open spaces."

"Local communities will be empowered to ―design communities for active ageing and sustainability‖. This will include protecting green spaces, volunteer led walk programmes, promoting community ownership of green spaces and improved access to land."

The Natural Environment White Paper, The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature, outlines Defra‘s ambition and states that:

"From April 2013, Directors of Public Health will be employed within upper tier and unitary local authorities. They will be ideally placed to influence local services, for example joining up activity on rights of way, countryside access and green space management to improve public health by connecting people with nature."

"Local Nature Partnerships and the Health and Wellbeing Boards should actively seek to engage each other in their work. Forthcoming guidance will make clear that the wider determinants of health, including the natural environment, will be a crucial consideration in developing joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies."

The Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator 1.16 Utilisation of green space for exercise / health reasons, will be measured by Natural England‘s Monitoring of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) survey.

The following pages contain six evidence based information sheets that outline the natural environment‘s contribution for improved health and wellbeing.

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