Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health The role of nature in improving the health of a population 1st edition by Matilda Van Den Bosch, William Bird ISBN 0198725916 9780198725916

Section 1 Why is nature a health factor?

1.1 Setting the scene and how to read the book

1.2 A life course approach to public health: why early life matters

1.3 Systems thinking for global health and strategic sustainable development

1.4 The physiology of stress and stress recovery

1.5 Unifying mechanisms: nature deficiency, chronic stress, and inflammation

Section 2 How nature can affect health—theories and mechanisms

2.1 Environmental psychology

2.2 Therapeutic landscapes, restorative environments, place attachment, and well-being

2.3 Microbes, the immune system, and the health benefits of exposure to the natural environment

2.4 Environmental enrichment: neurophysiological responses and consequences for health

2.5 Biological mechanisms and neurophysiological responses to sensory impact from nature

2.6 The role of nature and environment in behavioural medicine

Section 3 Public health impact of nature contact—pathways to health promotion and disease prevention

3.1 Promoting physical activity—reducing obesity and non-communicable diseases

3.2 Preventing stress and promoting mental health

3.3 Promoting social cohesion—increasing well-being

Section 4 Public health impact of nature contact—intervention and rehabilitation

4.1 Using nature as a treatment option

4.2 The human–animal bond and animal-assisted intervention

4.3 Similarities, disparities, and synergies with other complex interventions—stress as a common pathway

Section 5 Public health impact of varied landscapes and environments

5.1 The great outdoors: forests, wilderness, and public health

5.2 Blue landscapes and public health

5.3 Technological nature and human well-being

Section 6 Varied populations and interactions with nature

6.1 Children and nature

6.2 Nature-based treatments as an adjunctive therapy for anxiety among elders

6.3 Vulnerable populations, health inequalities, and nature

6.4 Responses to nature from populations of varied cultural background

Section 7 Threats, environmental change, and unintended consequences of nature—protecting health and reducing environmental hazards

7.1 Allergenic pollen emissions from vegetation—threats and prevention

7.2 Vector-borne diseases and poisonous plants

7.3 The health impact of natural disasters

7.4 Risk and the perception of risk in interactions with nature

7.5 Population health deficits due to biodiversity loss, climate change, and other environmental degradation

Section 8 The nature of the city

8.1 The shift from natural living environments to urban: population-based and neurobiological implications for public health

8.2 Urban landscapes and public health

8.3 Nature in buildings and health design

8.4 Green infrastructure—approach and public health benefits

8.5 Ecosystem services and health benefits—an urban perspective

8.6 The healthy settings approach: Healthy Cities and environmental health indicators

Section 9 Natural public health across the world

9.1 Africa and environmental health trends

9.2 Latin America and the environmental health movement

9.3 Healthy Islands

Section 10 Bringing nature into public health plans and actions

10.1 The role of the health professional

10.2 The role of environmental law

10.3 Environmental assessment and health impact assessment

10.4 Quantifying and valuing the role of trees and forests on environmental quality and human health

10.5 The role of civil society and organizations

Index