Whether due to urban densification or the sedentary pace of life that we lead, the truth is that there are several investigations that suggest that we spend less time outdoors. But the contact with nature has endless benefits, especially for children, so it is important to promote it.
A recent study carried out by the University of Aarhus (Denmark) and published in the scientific website Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, ensures that children who grow up in greener environments have better mental health during adulthood, reaching reduce the risk of developing mental disorders by up to 55 percent, even in cases with associated risk factors.
The benefits of growing in contact with nature
Live in contact with nature It would help foster children's creativity, lift their spirits, reduce stress, improve mental acuity, well-being and productivity, promote social connections and encourage physical activity.
It also has endless benefits in the field of education and education, as it has been shown that practical outdoor lessons are easier to remember For children, that learning a lesson through a book.
To this long list of benefits would now be added what was discovered by Danish researchers, who say that the fact that children can grow during the first part of their childhood surrounded by green spaces, would help gradually reduce the risk of developing a mental disorder in adulthood.
On MagnetHow to improve children's mental health? Surrounding them with trees and green spaces It is not the first time that the Nordic countries have shown the positive impact of nature on children. In fact, a year ago we echoed a study carried out by the University of Finland on the health benefits of children from napping outdoors.
The contact with natural spaces has multiple physical and mental benefits, but the reality is that only one in four Spanish children plays outdoors every day, being even worse in the big cities.Nature deficit disorder
And it is that despite its many benefits, more and more children and adults suffer from nature deficit disorder, whose most obvious characteristic is the inadequate relationship between us and the natural environment.
The pediatricians have been alerting about this sad reality for some time, because the fact of not spending time outdoors has a negative impact on the health of children and adolescents - especially in those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma -, it favors obesity, implies a risk of vitamin D deficiency and negatively affects their neurocognitive development
In Babies and more, only one in four Spanish children plays daily outdoors, and pediatricians warn of the seriousness of this situation"Asthma and respiratory pathologies have doubled their prevalence since 1980 and 10% of children suffer from asthma; autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder already affect one in 80 newborns alive; childhood cancer and adolescent increases its incidence between 1% and 1.5% annually and other endocrinological diseases such as thyroid disorders, diabetes or abnormalities in puberty and development also follow an ascending pattern "
"Not to mention globesity (global obesity), whose prevalence in the child population has been alarming for some years, reaching 33% of school-age children in some autonomous communities" - they explain from the Environmental Health Committee of the AEP.
All these diseases have been indicated by the health authorities as environmental related disorders. And more importantly, "most of these diseases are preventable by providing our children with healthier environments" - they point out in the AEP.
What can we do to remedy it?
Although on many occasions the busy pace of life that we lead parents It can complicate the fact that children spend daily time outdoors, we can implement simple guidelines that foster this connection.
For example, whenever we can choose to leave the car at home in the morning and enjoy a morning walk to schoolAnd on the way out, how about stopping at the park and having a snack outside?
Family sports, country walks and excursions on weekends are also excellent leisure alternatives, which are not only fun for children and enrich family relationships, but also contribute positively to our health. What more could you want?
Photos | iStock, Pixabay
