Transcript PowerPoint presentation

Greenspace and Health
Hazel Ainsworth
Delivery Lead, Health & Environment
Greenspace and Health
The scale of the problem
Preventative public health care
Evidence
Case study
The Economic Burden of Obesity
• Estimates of indirect costs (those arising from
the impact of obesity on the wider economy such
as loss of productivity) from the studies ranged
between £2.6 billion and £15.8 billion
• Modelled projections suggest that indirect costs
could be as much as £27 billion by 2015
(National Obesity Observatory (NOO), October 2010)
The Cost of Physical Inactivity
Physical inactivity costs the NHS between £1
billion - £1.8 billion each year. The costs of lost
productivity to the wider economy have been
estimated to be £5.5 billion from sickness
absence and £1 billion from premature death of
people of working age.
Taken together, these costs may total £8.3 billion
Be Active, Be Healthy, A Plan for getting the Nation moving, February 2009
Changes to the NHS
Equity & Excellence: Liberating the NHS
(12th July 2010)
• LAs to promote the joining up
of local NHS services, social
care and health improvement”
• PCT responsibilities for local
health improvement will
transfer to LAs
• DoH via Public Health Service
“will set local authorities
national objectives for
improving population health
outcomes”
Health Lives, Healthy People (30th Nov 2011)
• New PH system with
dedicated budget
• Recognition that our
environment has an effect
on our health
• LAs best placed to
influence wider
determinants of health
New NHS Structure
Transition timetable
Development of health and wellbeing boards
Joint Strategic
Needs
Assessment
Joint Health &
Wellbeing
Strategy
Commissioning
Strategies
132 early implementers announced 16/03/11
http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/early-implementers-of-health-andwellbeing-boards-announced/
Physical Activity
Reducing Health Inequalities
Marmot Review 2010: “Create and develop healthy and
sustainable places and communities”
• People living closer to green space have lower death
rates and less heart disease.
• Amongst lower income groups, 1,300 extra deaths
occurred each year in areas where the provision of
green space was poor.
(University of Glasgow, 2008)
Social Cohesion
• Robert Taylor Homes, Chicago
• 28 identical high-rise homes along a 3-mile
corridor
• Some with nearby vegetation, others without
• Residents randomly assigned to apartments
Tackling Obesity
• People living closer to green spaces were more
physically active and were less likely to be overweight
or obese
• These trends were apparently independent of peoples’
income or social group
• The most significant findings showed that people who
lived furthest from public parks were 27% more likely to
be overweight or obese
(Original research by Melvyn Hillsdon1, Andy Jones2 and Emma Coombes2 for Natural England, 2009)
1Department Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Bristol
2School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
Health Benefits of Physical Activity
Physical activity
positively contributes
to the prevention and
management of over
20 chronic diseases
and conditions
including coronary
heart disease (CHD),
diabetes, cancer,
and obesity.
Increased physical activity
• Being within access to greenspace can increase levels
of physical activity
(Am. J. Public Health, 2003)
• Greater opportunities for exercise provided by close
proximity to a park reduces weight gain in teenagers by
five kilograms over a two year period.
(Am. J. Public Health, 2008)
Ecotherapy:
The Green Agenda for Mental Health
The role the
environment
plays on the
effectiveness of
exercise for
mental
wellbeing
Greenspace and Health Costs
If every household in England were
provided with good access to quality
green space it could save an estimated
£2.1 billion in healthcare costs
Our Natural Health Service – The role of the natural environment in maintaining healthy lives
Natural England (2009)
Benefits of Green Infrastructure
Good quality, accessible green space and infrastructure
can provide many potential health and wellbeing
benefits. The most significant of these can be grouped
into three broad categories:
• increased life expectancy and reduced health inequality
• improvements in levels of physical activity and health
• promotion of psychological health and mental well-being
(Forest Research, 2010)
Overview of Evidence
Indirect benefits
Direct benefits
Reducing health inequalities
Moderating impact from extreme
weather
Improving mental health
Shelter from UV, noise, wind
Improving physical activity
Carbon sequestration
Reducing obesity
Improved water and air quality
Enhancing social cohesion
Food
The natural environment can help with the major health
problems facing society
Case Study
Mansfield District Council
Using greenspace to deliver health benefits