Dose of nature is just what the doctor ordered
A study led by The University of Queensland (UQ) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) suggests people might need a minimum "dose of nature." UQ CEED researcher Dr Danielle Shanahan said parks offered health benefits including reduced risks of developing heart disease, stress, anxiety and depression. "If everyone visited their local parks for half an hour each week there would be seven per cent fewer cases of depression and nine percent fewer cases of high blood pressure ," she said. "Given that the societal costs of depression alone in Australia are estimated at $A12.6 billion a year, savings to public health budgets across all health outcomes could be immense," she said. UQ CEED researcher Associate Professor Richard Fuller said the research could transform the way people viewed urban parks. "We've known for a long time that visiting parks is good for our health, but we are now beginning to establish exa...