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Wagamaga OP t1_irqr45y wrote

New research based on data from 18 countries concludes that adults with better mental health are more likely to report having spent time playing in and around coastal and inland waters, such as rivers and lakes (also known collectively as blue spaces) as children.

The finding was replicated in each of the countries studied.

Mounting evidence shows that spending time in and around green spaces such as parks and woodlands in adulthood is associated with stress reduction and better mental health. However, we know far less about the benefits of blue spaces, or the role childhood contact has in these relationships in later life.

Data came from the BlueHealth International Survey (BIS), a cross-sectional survey co-ordinated by the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health. The current analysis used data from over 15,000 people across 14 European Countries and 4 other non-European countries/regions (Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and California).

Respondents were asked to recall their blue space experiences between the ages of 0-16 years including how local they were, how often they visited them, and how comfortable their parents/guardians were with them playing in these settings, as well as more recent contact with green and blue spaces over the last four weeks, and mental health over the last two weeks.

The research, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, found that individuals who recalled more childhood blue space experiences tended to place greater intrinsic value on natural settings in general, and to visit them more often as adults – each of which, in turn, were associated with better mental wellbeing in adulthood.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494422001219

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Uncynical_Diogenes t1_irrhw5h wrote

Ahh yes. “Kids with resources have better outcomes than poor kids” again. Riveting.

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Outside_Classroom_38 t1_irrpbqz wrote

I don’t understand your comment. I was dirt poor, like the heat turned off regularly. I spent all my time in the river. I collected craw dads so we’d have would have a protein to eat at dinner. I’m pretty sure that would contribute to the happiness of my childhood

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Uncynical_Diogenes t1_irrswdp wrote

Your experience is the different between the words “anecdote” and “data”.

One person is a story. Lots of people is data.

Far more poor people exist not on rivers forming idyllic childhood memories than do.

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owleealeckza t1_irrs17c wrote

Your experience is not the typical experience of poor children, imagine that.

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PaulaLoomisArt t1_irstifz wrote

Are there more poor city kids than poor rural kids? Because as another poor kid who grew up playing in a river, that’s pretty common in rural areas in the United States at least. “Blue spaces” can provide free entertainment, free relief from hot summers, and in some cases, a source of free food as well. My siblings and I spent countless hours around the water and all the neighbor kids did too. These weren’t vacations to a beach somewhere with our parents, just a handful of children playing unsupervised on a muddy river bank.

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uselessfoster t1_irtomll wrote

Yeah I do think this is a good point. Rural poor and urban poor are lumped together all the time, but there are some big differences in access to different resources for the groups.

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PaulaLoomisArt t1_irsuyyo wrote

I imagine they’re thinking primarily of poor kids in more urban areas, where access to the water is often a luxury. My experience is like yours though, I was a poor rural kid who spent plenty of summers mucking about in the nearest river. I think our experiences are probably similar to that of many other poor children living in the country. The study isn’t viewable for me so I’m not sure how (or if) it accounts for this rural/urban distinction.

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ban_circumcision_now t1_irrgmt0 wrote

It would be great if all the land surrounding a lake or River for a 100ft or so was public property, it’s a shame how little of a nearby lake is actually accessible…..

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Dragoness42 t1_irrjxus wrote

Most creeks have an easement where the creek bed itself doesn't really belong to anyone (at least in California, where I have experience). Doesn't mean it has protected access points the same way an ocean beach does, but at least you can walk up and down the creek freely.

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yukon-flower t1_irrmlcn wrote

Spending time in areas with more nature and less urban infrastructure is healthy for us. Got it.

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thebeandream t1_irui1ua wrote

Yeah I got “being outside in fresh air exercising is good for kids” shocking. No idea.

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