The news is not all blue.
Key points:
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More than 15,000 participants from 18 countries recalled their experiences with blue spaces between the ages of 0 and 16
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Childhood experiences with coasts, rivers and lakes were linked to good health in adulthood
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Learning to swim at a young age may have lifelong benefits, authors suggest
Childhood days spent on the beach or around rivers can have significant benefits for our mental health and well-being as adults, according to a study.
It found that people who recalled childhood experiences in blue spaces, such as costs, rivers Y lakesthey valued natural environments more and revisited them as adults.
More than 15,000 participants in 18 countries were surveyed for the study, which was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology by researchers at the University of Exeter.
Respondents were asked to recall their experiences with blue spaces between the ages of 0 and 16, including:
- How often did they visit those spaces?
- What locations were they?
- How comfortable their parents/guardians felt allowing them to swim and play in these settings
They were also asked to quantify their recent contact with green and blue spaces during the previous four weeks, as well as the state of their mental health during the previous two weeks.
The authors argue that previous studies on this phenomenon have tended to focus only on ‘nature’, which is typically represented by parks, green spaces and forests.
The study’s lead author, Valeria Vitale, a doctoral candidate at Sapienza University of Rome, said their findings suggest that “building familiarity and trust in and around blue spaces during childhood can stimulate an inherent joy of nature.”
‘Aquatic environments can be dangerous’ but learning to swim early has lifelong benefits
A boy building a sandcastle on the beach or splashing around in a lake on a summer’s day: it’s a classic Australian scene.
But not everyone has positive memories of being near a body of water.
In the year to June 2022, 339 people drowned in floods, rivers, ponds, dams and seas, a report from the Royal Life Saving Society and Surf Life Saving revealed.
Study co-author Dr. Leanne Martin says that while aquatic environments “can be dangerous for children,” her research suggests they will benefit more from being supported to be comfortable in these environments.
She says that the solution to this is swimming lessons.
“Developing skills like swimming at a young age may have previously unrecognized lifelong benefits,” he said.
‘A viable way to support the mental health of future generations’
Dr. Mathew White, co-author and senior scientist at the University of Vienna, says these studies highlight the need for local planners and agencies to “provide safe and affordable access to natural environments” for the mental and physical development of children. kids.
“More work, policies and initiatives that encourage more blue space experiences during childhood may be a viable way to support the mental health of future generations,” he said.
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