Ecominds-effects-on-mental-wellbeing-evaluation-report

74 <strong>Ecominds</strong> <strong>effects</strong> on mental wellbeingfor green exercise therapy, a recommendation totake part in STH or a prescription to attend a carefarm may not be deemed as effective or even asatisfactory treatment. Education is also needed forGPs and patients alike to highlight the additionalsocial and wellbeing benefits that an ecotherapyintervention can provide that anti-depressants, forexample, do not.6.3.2 Public health• Contact with and connection to nature is continuallybeing proven to improve mental wellbeing andto have a therapeutic effect even after shortexposures. Encouraging people to incorporatemore green exercise activities into daily routinesand lifestyles and supporting more ecotherapyopportunities has the potential to increase wellbeingnot only for those already living with a mentalhealth problem but for health promotion and illnessprevention at the population level, particularly forthose groups with an elevated risk of developing amental health problem.• Increasing support for and access to a wide rangeecotherapy and green exercise activities for allsectors of society is (in addition to the personalwellbeing benefits) also likely to produce substantialpublic health benefits and economic savings, andtherefore should be promoted. Healthy, active andhappy people, feeling connected to nature whilstliving in local communities rich with social capital,will ultimately lead to a better overall health for thenation and reduced costs for both the NHS and forpublic health bodies.6.3.3 Social inclusion• Agencies responsible for providing social careservices and promoting social inclusion wouldalso benefit from recognising the potential ofecotherapy activities to increase the health andmental well-being of their communities, patientsand clients. Ecotherapy has been shown to reducesocial exclusion, increase social capital and to helppeople to re-integrate into society after a periodof ill-health, something that is particularly relevantto local authorities, government departments(e.g. Department for Communities and LocalGovernment) and third sector organisations alike.• Ecotherapy programmes and green exerciseinitiatives could also be recommended formarginalised groups such as those in care andspecial education institutions, long-stay hospitalsand prisons for example. Ecotherapy initiativescould be more widely used by probation servicesand residential care providers in the UK forincreased mental health. In times with increasingprison populations, a prevalence of prisonerswith mental health problems and concerns overthe effectiveness of current probation services,there is great potential for ecotherapy to be usedas an additional option in the rehabilitation ofoffenders into society. In addition with an emphasisof devolving more social care into the communitysetting, ecotherapy could also help marginalisedpeople become more involved in society and withtheir local community.6.3.4 Employment• Ecotherapy has been shown to lead to wellbeingand social inclusion benefits as participants developnew skills and learn to re-engage with theircommunities and the wider society. Ecotherapyinterventions often lead to employment dividends,which have implications for the government’s driveto encourage people recovering from poor healthto return to work. Ecotherapy has the potentialtherefore to be used alongside existing strategiesfor helping people to get back into employment.6.3.5 Management and conservation of green spaces• The achievements of ecotherapy interventions haveimplications for those responsible for managingand promoting our natural green spaces. Althoughland managers have been successful in promotingthe health and wellbeing benefits of contact withnature through visiting their sites, the importanceof green spaces to the nation’s health is still largelyunderestimated by policy-makers and the generalpublic. Findings from this study have highlightedthe multiple outcomes from ecotherapy and recentresearch 218 has shown that lower mental distressand higher wellbeing is linked with living in urbanareas with more green space, highlighting furtherthe importance of policies to protect and promoteurban green spaces for community wellbeing. If weare all to have this access to nature, there is needboth for i) more quality green spaces, (especiallyin urbanised areas); and ii) to actively protect andconserve our existing green spaces in both ruraland urban locations.