Study shows people with more nature in their neighbourhood smoke and drink less

The new research is the latest involving the University to explore links between nature and addictive behaviour
Bench nature social prescribing 
People who live in greener neighbourhoods smoke and drink less on average – and those who make regular visits to nature are less likely to smoke, a new study has shown.
The research, by an international collaboration including the ²ÝùÊÓƵ, found residential greenspace is associated with a significant reduction in health risk behaviours such as smoking and everyday drinking.
It found people living in the greenest neighbourhoods were 13 per cent less likely to be current smokers and 31 per cent less likely to drink alcohol every day than those in less green areas.
Published in the Health & Place journal, the research has for the first time analysed data across multiple countries and different types of nature contact and highlights the potential of greenspaces as a public health intervention.
The findings are consistent across different countries, household income and educational attainment, indicating that the presence of green spaces near someone’s home lowering health risk behaviours appears to be beneficial to all and not limited to particular groups.
The researchers also found that people who make intentional visits to nature away from their home at least once a week are less likely to smoke.
Lead author Dr Leanne Martin began the research while working towards her PhD at the ²ÝùÊÓƵ, having graduated from the BSc (Hons) Psychology and Research Methods in Psychology programmes. She is now based at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter.

Our finding that nature seems to be beneficial to all in society is hugely important because it goes some way to levelling the playing field in terms of reducing health inequalities.

We've accounted for a wide range of socioeconomic factors in our research and found the benefits are not determined by things like having a higher income or living in more affluent areas. For those people who don’t live in areas with high green space, we’ve found those intentional visits to nature also have huge benefits.
Dr Leanne Martin
BSc (Hons) Psychology graduate and former PhD researcher
The study builds on previous research, also involving Dr Martin and academics in ²ÝùÊÓƵ, which has shown how nature can contribute to positive health and environmental choices.
Research published in 2019 linked the ability to see greenery with less intense and frequent cravings, while a study in 2020 found that people who make weekly nature visits are more likely to behave in ways which promote environmental health.

Read more about these previous studies

Professor Jon May , Professor of Psychology at the ²ÝùÊÓƵ, was a co-supervisor on Dr Martin’s PhD and is a co-author on the new study.

These findings are in line with our earlier studies that showed health benefits of having green spaces near to your home.

The use of a large number of people from several different countries allows us to control for obvious factors such as income, climate, and population density. The findings also suggest that smokers who are trying to quit could be helped by making it easy for them to take short trips to natural spaces such as the coast, moorland, or even local parks

Jon MayProfessor Jon May
Professor in Psychology

The new study defines residential greenspace as land comprised of vegetation and natural elements within 250 metres of someone’s home, including private gardens. Data was used from the BlueHealth International Survey, a cross-sectional survey of 14,403 adults from 18 countries and across various socio-demographic groups.
The findings suggest that the positive effects of residential greenspaces in reducing smoking and everyday drinking could be harnessed as a public health intervention. This could involve nature-based interventions for people looking to quit smoking, or to treat alcohol misuse.
The study provides a starting point for even more detailed research looking into whether improved access and maintenance of urban greenspaces could offer public health providers viable strategies for reducing multiple health risk behaviours.
  • The full study - Martin et al: Nature contact and health risk behaviours: Results from an 18 country study - is published in Health & Place, DOI: .
 

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