Denmark’s University of Aarhus researchers found that childhood exposure to green space—parks, forests, rural lands, etc.—reduces the risk for developing an array of psychiatric disorders during adolescence and adulthood.
Simply by going outside and spending time in nature, one may be able to reduce the risk for psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
How can Scouting help? If your scout attends 10 campouts in a year, they would spend approximately 36 hours per weekend in nature. That adds up to a whopping 360 hours. Add a week long summer camp into the mix, and we get another 150 hours or so. That is an easy 510 hours per year outdoors.
Do you think that is a lot? The average child spends over 1200 hours in front of screens per year. Children between eight and 12 spend approximately four to six hours per day on screen media. Adolescents over 12 spend an average of seven to nine hours per day (Media, 2011; V. Rideout, 2016).
Let’s intentionally choose to get our scouts outside. Sign up for campouts and activities. Let’s make a difference and join the challenge for 1000 hours outside.
For more information about how to get 1000 hours outside, look at https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/
References
Media, C.S. (2011). Zero to eight: Children’s media use in America. Common Sense Media.
Rideout, V. (2016). Measuring time spent with media: The Common Sense census of media use by US 8- to 18-year-olds. Journal of Children and Media. http://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2016.1129808.
Rideout, V.J. (2013). Zero to eight: Children’s media use in America 2013. Pridobljeno.
Engemann, K. et al. (2019) Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116 (11) 5188. Cosmos (2019, February 27) Green and privileged childhoods signal better adult mental health. Accessed July 15, 2019.
Global Landscapes Forum (2019, March 27) Study finds access to nature in childhood helps mental health. Accessed July 15, 2019.
National Public Radio (2019, February 25) Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood. Accessed July 15, 2019.