Outdoor play activities 'improve children's health'
20/05/2010 Evidence showing that the benefits of outdoor play activities include an improvement in the overall health levels of children has been revealed by a new study.
The Using Nature and Outdoor Activity to Improve Children's Health study published in Current Problems in Paediatric and Adolescent Health Care identifies that a lack of outdoor play activities is contributing to childhood health problems, the Children and Nature Network reports.
According to the writers of the paper, outdoor play activities should be used by health professionals to help improve mental health and combat obesity.
The news provider quotes the authors as saying: "Physical activity is shown to improve children's health, and a growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to natural environments can improve attention and decrease stress in children."
Nature deficit disorder has been coined to describe the effects of not enough time being spent on outdoor play activities.
The paper was published shortly after research by University of Essex found that spending even a small amount of time exercising outdoors can help boost a person's mood.
The Using Nature and Outdoor Activity to Improve Children's Health study published in Current Problems in Paediatric and Adolescent Health Care identifies that a lack of outdoor play activities is contributing to childhood health problems, the Children and Nature Network reports.
According to the writers of the paper, outdoor play activities should be used by health professionals to help improve mental health and combat obesity.
The news provider quotes the authors as saying: "Physical activity is shown to improve children's health, and a growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to natural environments can improve attention and decrease stress in children."
Nature deficit disorder has been coined to describe the effects of not enough time being spent on outdoor play activities.
The paper was published shortly after research by University of Essex found that spending even a small amount of time exercising outdoors can help boost a person's mood.
