Research & Studies News
Access | Health
Active Living Research – April 13, 2010
New Report Examines Links Between Parks and Health
A new report by Active Living Research finds that parks can do more to increase physical activity levels and promote overall health among American children and adults. Parks, Playgrounds and Active Living summarizes the growing body of evidence on how park proximity, size, and features impact physical activity, especially among populations who are at high risk for being inactive and/or obese. [+]
Health
Healthy People Healthy Parks – April 02, 2010
CDC’s Frumkin Discusses Work to Promote Nature’s Benefits
In advance of the Healthy Parks Healthy People congress in Australia beginning April 11, one of the event's key speakers, Dr. Howard Frumkin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses the work of his agency and his ongoing efforts to maximize the public's access to health-promoting environments. [+]
Commentary | Education | Health
New York Times – March 26, 2010
New York Times: Recess and the Culture of Childhood
By David Elkind
In an op-ed piece for the New York Times, David Elkind, a professor emeritus of child development at Tufts University, discusses the ways in which “the culture of childhood” is disappearing. The elimination of recess and its opportunities for free-form play will only hasten this disappearance, Elkind says, despite evidence showing that children who are physically fit tend to score higher on tests of reading, math, and science.
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International | Media & Culture
The Telegraph – February 20, 2010
British Study Attributes Nature Disconnect to Parents’ Fears
By Julie Henry
British researchers have found that parents tend to limit family excursions to the countryside because of their own fears. The countryside, it seems, is out of the comfort zone of many affluent, suburban parents today.
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Built Environment | Event
Natural Learning Initiative – February 16, 2010
Growing in Place Symposium Coming March 5
How can we plan and design a public realm where children find the physical and social stimulation necessary for healthy human development in consonance with the culture and ecology of the places where they live? That's the question participants will address in the Growing in Place Symposium to be held March 5 in Raleigh, North Carolina. [+]
Built Environment
Washington Post – November 17, 2009
Benefits of “Park Prescriptions” Noted in Washington Post
By Daphne Miller
Support within the medical community is growing for the the use of nature experiences as a healing aid. Physician Daphne Miller, writing in the Washington Post, notes that doctors around the country are medicating their patients with nature in order to prevent (or treat) health problems ranging from heart disease to attention deficit disorder.
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