Lecture 4: An environmental perspective Flashcards
Provide some examples of general environmental influences on health
- Sidewalks and bike paths
- Transit networks
- Green spaces and playgrounds
- Pollution
- Health services (availability)
- Buildings and other infrastucture
Provide some examples of macro, micro and meso levels
Macro:
- Country level
- City level
Meso:
- Community
- School
- Work
- Home
Miso:
- Individual
Layers of the Model of health determinants (Dalhgren & Whitehead)
- General socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions
- Living and working conditions
- Social community networks
- Individual lifestyle factors
- Age, sex, genes, etc.
City versus rural living?
With respect to anxiety disorders, rural living is better for mental health as compared to urban
What are urban risk attributes?
4 items
- Selective migration
- Social stress
- Environmental pullution
- Lack of natural space and abundance of environmental stressors
What are environmental stressors in the residential context?
5 items
- Crowding
- Noise
- Traffic
- Housing quality
- Deprivation
Deprivation = also absence of health care/ activities/ other services
Environmental injustice?
Population at risk for poverty had higher reportings on noise from neighbours, as compared to the total population
What are environmental stressors in the meso environment?
5 items
- Sunlight
- Sound
- Color
- Smell
- Temperature
Explain the Arousal theory
And what are increasing and decreasing properties?
The environment can provide psychological stimulation
- People have a preference for stimuli which help to maintain an optimal level of arousal
Too litte arousal = boredom, apathy
Too much arousal = high anxiety
Increasing properties:
- Complexity
- Novelty
- Ambiguity
Decreasing properties:
- Familiarity
- Patterning
Explain the Environmental load/ Overstimulation theory
People only have a limited capacity to process incomming stimuli
Too much stimuli can lead to sensory overload:
- Frustration
- Reduced: tolerance, attention, capacity to adaptive reaction (aanpassingsvermogen)
Explain the Adaptation level theory
Stimulus are jugded based on past experiences and recollections
Discrepancy/ deviation from adaptation level can lead to a positive affect or negative affect
Types of stimulants:
- Sensory
- Social
- Movement
Dimensions of stimulants:
- Intensity
- Diversity
- Patterning
What is meant by behavior contraint/ stress and control?
Feeling powerless of feeling in control of the stimuli can decrease or improve well-being
What can prevention be aimed at?
1. Facilitation
- Providing people the resources or improving accessibility to these resources that may promote their mental health
2. Behavior change
- Providing people skills to change own behavior to use the available resources
What are challenges in promoting mental health from an environmental perspective?
6 items
1. Complexity
- Envrionment is not only/ main predictive factor
2. Low uptake
3. Cost
4. high NNT (in research)
5. Time (in research)
- It takes a long time for people to develop a mental health disorder
6. Difficult to execute
- Particularly blinded, controlled clinical trials
What are examples of (Universal?) prevention programs?
Suicide prevention in the NL:
- Preventive measures by ProRail and NS (guarding tracks, approaching people, collaboration)
The district approach 2008 - 2012 (NL):
- Set up to improve 10 neighborhoods
- Interventions targeted on: unemployment, educational level, housing conditions, safety, social cohesion
- They made improvements in foot and cycle paths, parks, gardens and green area’s, housing
What is an example of and selective prevention strategy?
Office space with biophilic design:
- Effect on (job) stress
What is an example of a indicated prevention strategy?
Psychiatric ward design:
- Stress reducing design features
- Reduced the number of patients receiving injections and physical restraints
What was found in the study on residental green spaces and GP visits?
Less visits to the GP for:
- Depression in children
- Migraine
- Depression
- Astma
- Diabetes
What is the Biophilia Hypothesis?
“People have a innate tendency to connect with nature and other life forms”
Bio = nature
Philos = love
Name the most influencial (nature) restoration theories
- Stress reduction theory
- Attention restoration theory
Define a restorative environment
A restorative environment = An environment that supports restoration from stress and mental fatigue
Explain the Stress reduction theory
Non-harmful and survival promoting natural environments evoke an initial positive affective response (e.g. preference, interest, like).
This blocks negative thoughts and feelings and fosters reduction of psychological activation and henceforth stress
= Less negative thinking and stress, more positive mental state
Explain the Attention restoration theory
Nature engages attention in an effortless manner, allowing direct attention resources to rest restore
Direct attention:
- Effortfull attention
- Needed to focus and concentrate
- Becomes fatigued with prolonged use (leads to difficulty concentrating, less productivity)
Indirect attention:
- Involuntairy effortless attention
How do green spaces have an effect on health and well-being?
Reducing harm:
- reducing exposures to environmental stressors (noise, air pollution, heat)
Restoring capacities:
- Attention restoration and psychological stress recovery
Building capacities:
- Encouraging physical activity and facilitating social cohesion
