Few hikers would argue that spending time in nature would make us healthier and happier. However, have you ever imagine one day when you visit a doctor, instead of leaving with a bag full of drugs, you are given a prescription written: Hiking in the Country Park.
This may sound too good to be true but it is happening in some places around the world, including Shetland of Scotland. Since October 2018, doctors in Shetland has been authorised to offer ‘nature prescription’ to patients to help improve their condition of mental illness, diabetes, heart disease, stress and other illnesses. Depending on the season, the ‘prescription’ that patients can take include: taking a walk in the nature reserve, joining a bird-watching event, participate in a beach cleaning activity, appreciate a cloud, prepare a meal for your family outdoor.
The National Health Service (NHS) in Shetland adopted this program in partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds which designed a leaflet with different activities for patience to ‘prescribe’ from.
According to one of the general practitioners at the NHS Shetland, the Nature Prescription program provides a structured way for patients to access nature as part of a non-drug approach to health problems. The other upsides to patients are that it is free, easily accessible, allows increased connection with surroundings which hopefully leads to improved physical and mental health for individuals.
Nature and Wellbeing
The evidence is clear. Numerous researches have shown that exposure to nature can help fight depression, improve blood pressure, reduce stress levels, and other health conditions. A study in the US by the Stanford University had shown that 90-minute of exposure to the nature will reduce the activity of the part of the brain that is associated with depression.
Elsewhere in Japan, Forest Bathing – a practice in which practitioners spend meditative time breathing in nature, has proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, boost the immune system, and improve overall feelings of wellbeing. It has been adopted as a preventive health care in Japan since 1980’s.
A solution for Hong Kong?
As a highly developed city, most population of Hong Kong reside in the urban area. While we enjoy many of the benefits of the urban city, we also faces higher health risks, including physical inactivity and obesity, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases from transport-generated urban air pollution. In Hong Kong, prevalent rate of diabetes is about 10%, while heart disease remain the third leading cause of death in Hong Kong since 1960s.
City-dwellers also has a higher rate of mood and anxiety disorders in particular depression. In Hong Kong, around 13% or one in seven people aged between 16 and 75 suffered from depression, anxiety or other common mood disorder.
In Hong Kong, with 40% of our land designated as Country Parks, we are blessed with amazing landscape which is free and easily accessible. Could we adopt Nature Prescription in Hong Kong? Could the increase in usage of Country Parks among Hong Kong citizens be a way to create a healthier and happier society?