Riikka Puhakka
Biographic Data
| ID | 4443797 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Riikka Puhakka |
| GIVEN NAMES | Riikka |
| FAMILY NAME | Puhakka |
| SIGNATURE | PUHAKKA R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Helsinki |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6546-0444 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 21 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Potential of location-based games in increasing adolescents’ well-being and connection with nature
Effects of an Outdoor Adventure on Adolescents’ Well-Being and Nature Connection—a Comparison With a Drama Workshop
Happiness from Nature? Adolescents’ Conceptions of the Relation between Happiness and Nature in Finland
Contact with nature has been increasingly recognized as enhancing human well-being and health. Less is known about how people perceive and define the effects of nature in their everyday lives. This study examines conceptions of the relation between nature and happiness offered by 15- to 16-year-olds in Finland, which has been reported to be “the happiest country in the world.” The data consist of thematic writings (N = 184). The results show that…
Adolescents’ experiences in nature
Recently, adolescents’ decreasing contact with nature has raised concerns in many urbanized societies. In this study, we analyze Finnish adolescents’ leisure time experiences in natural environments. The material consists of 39 thematic writings written by 15–16-year-old adolescents living in the city of Lahti, Finland. The analysis of the written accounts was informed by hermeneutic phenomenology. While visiting nature was a spontaneous everyday…
The memorable nature experiences of youth
Although the well-being effects of nature are increasingly recognized, the trend in urban societies has been declining contact with nature among young people. While youth is described as a 'time out' regarding interest in nature, little is known about what makes nature meaningful to young people. To shed light on this question, we analyse youth's memorable nature experiences and the well-being effects associated with these experiences. Qualitativ…
Do Rural Second Homes Shape Commensal Microbiota of Urban Dwellers? A Pilot Study among Urban Elderly in Finland
According to the hygiene and biodiversity hypotheses, increased hygiene levels and reduced contact with biodiversity can partially explain the high prevalence of immune-mediated diseases in developed countries. A disturbed commensal microbiota, especially in the gut, has been linked to multiple immune-mediated diseases. Previous studies imply that gut microbiota composition is associated with the everyday living environment and can be modified by…
Greening of Daycare Yards with Biodiverse Materials Affords Well-Being, Play and Environmental Relationships
Nature contacts are recognized as positively contributing to humans' health and well-being. Although there have been projects to green daycare or schoolyards, yard greening and microbial biodiversity have never been studied simultaneously. We asked whether simultaneously increasing biodiversity exposure and greening urban daycare yards affects 3-5 years-old children's physical activity and play, their environmental relationships, and their percei…
Engaging with nature
Contact with nature is increasingly being recognized as contributing to humans’ mental and physical health. This study explores how Finnish children, young people and families engage with nature during outdoor recreation. We apply a relational approach with the concept of affordance to understand better how engagement with nature affects their well-being. The study is based on thematic writings of 15- to 21-year-olds and on an ethnographic study …
The art of neoliberalizing park management
Following the growth of nature‐based tourism, national parks and other protected areas have become important tourist attractions. This article examines the legislative process of revising the Act on Pallas‐Yllästunturi National Park, located in northern Finland, to enable the renovation and enlargement of the old hotel. The first draft of the government bill published in 2008 led to widespread public opposition, and thus, construction rights were…
Formation of Finland's National Parks as a Political Issue
This paper analyses the political discourse of Finnish national parks from a perspective of values and justice. By examining the historical and contemporary political processes for establishing parks, we study the definitions of social justice and values attached to nature. An examination of conservation discourse illustrates how the meaning of national parks has changed. Parks are no longer perceived as threats to economic activity; on the contr…
Engaging with nature
Contact with nature is increasingly being recognized as contributing to humans’ mental and physical health. This study explores how Finnish children, young people and families engage with nature during outdoor recreation. We apply a relational approach with the concept of affordance to understand better how engagement with nature affects their well-being. The study is based on thematic writings of 15- to 21-year-olds and on an ethnographic study …
Happiness from Nature? Adolescents’ Conceptions of the Relation between Happiness and Nature in Finland
Contact with nature has been increasingly recognized as enhancing human well-being and health. Less is known about how people perceive and define the effects of nature in their everyday lives. This study examines conceptions of the relation between nature and happiness offered by 15- to 16-year-olds in Finland, which has been reported to be “the happiest country in the world.” The data consist of thematic writings (N = 184). The results show that…
The art of neoliberalizing park management
Following the growth of nature‐based tourism, national parks and other protected areas have become important tourist attractions. This article examines the legislative process of revising the Act on Pallas‐Yllästunturi National Park, located in northern Finland, to enable the renovation and enlargement of the old hotel. The first draft of the government bill published in 2008 led to widespread public opposition, and thus, construction rights were…
Potential of location-based games in increasing adolescents’ well-being and connection with nature
Effects of an Outdoor Adventure on Adolescents’ Well-Being and Nature Connection—a Comparison With a Drama Workshop
Adolescents’ experiences in nature
Recently, adolescents’ decreasing contact with nature has raised concerns in many urbanized societies. In this study, we analyze Finnish adolescents’ leisure time experiences in natural environments. The material consists of 39 thematic writings written by 15–16-year-old adolescents living in the city of Lahti, Finland. The analysis of the written accounts was informed by hermeneutic phenomenology. While visiting nature was a spontaneous everyday…
Formation of Finland's National Parks as a Political Issue
This paper analyses the political discourse of Finnish national parks from a perspective of values and justice. By examining the historical and contemporary political processes for establishing parks, we study the definitions of social justice and values attached to nature. An examination of conservation discourse illustrates how the meaning of national parks has changed. Parks are no longer perceived as threats to economic activity; on the contr…
Formation of Finland's National Parks as a Political Issue
This paper analyses the political discourse of Finnish national parks from a perspective of values and justice. By examining the historical and contemporary political processes for establishing parks, we study the definitions of social justice and values attached to nature. An examination of conservation discourse illustrates how the meaning of national parks has changed. Parks are no longer perceived as threats to economic activity; on the contr…
The art of neoliberalizing park management
Following the growth of nature‐based tourism, national parks and other protected areas have become important tourist attractions. This article examines the legislative process of revising the Act on Pallas‐Yllästunturi National Park, located in northern Finland, to enable the renovation and enlargement of the old hotel. The first draft of the government bill published in 2008 led to widespread public opposition, and thus, construction rights were…
Greening of Daycare Yards with Biodiverse Materials Affords Well-Being, Play and Environmental Relationships
Nature contacts are recognized as positively contributing to humans' health and well-being. Although there have been projects to green daycare or schoolyards, yard greening and microbial biodiversity have never been studied simultaneously. We asked whether simultaneously increasing biodiversity exposure and greening urban daycare yards affects 3-5 years-old children's physical activity and play, their environmental relationships, and their percei…
Engaging with nature
Contact with nature is increasingly being recognized as contributing to humans’ mental and physical health. This study explores how Finnish children, young people and families engage with nature during outdoor recreation. We apply a relational approach with the concept of affordance to understand better how engagement with nature affects their well-being. The study is based on thematic writings of 15- to 21-year-olds and on an ethnographic study …
Do Rural Second Homes Shape Commensal Microbiota of Urban Dwellers? A Pilot Study among Urban Elderly in Finland
According to the hygiene and biodiversity hypotheses, increased hygiene levels and reduced contact with biodiversity can partially explain the high prevalence of immune-mediated diseases in developed countries. A disturbed commensal microbiota, especially in the gut, has been linked to multiple immune-mediated diseases. Previous studies imply that gut microbiota composition is associated with the everyday living environment and can be modified by…
Happiness from Nature? Adolescents’ Conceptions of the Relation between Happiness and Nature in Finland
Contact with nature has been increasingly recognized as enhancing human well-being and health. Less is known about how people perceive and define the effects of nature in their everyday lives. This study examines conceptions of the relation between nature and happiness offered by 15- to 16-year-olds in Finland, which has been reported to be “the happiest country in the world.” The data consist of thematic writings (N = 184). The results show that…
Adolescents’ experiences in nature
Recently, adolescents’ decreasing contact with nature has raised concerns in many urbanized societies. In this study, we analyze Finnish adolescents’ leisure time experiences in natural environments. The material consists of 39 thematic writings written by 15–16-year-old adolescents living in the city of Lahti, Finland. The analysis of the written accounts was informed by hermeneutic phenomenology. While visiting nature was a spontaneous everyday…
The memorable nature experiences of youth
Although the well-being effects of nature are increasingly recognized, the trend in urban societies has been declining contact with nature among young people. While youth is described as a 'time out' regarding interest in nature, little is known about what makes nature meaningful to young people. To shed light on this question, we analyse youth's memorable nature experiences and the well-being effects associated with these experiences. Qualitativ…
Potential of location-based games in increasing adolescents’ well-being and connection with nature
Effects of an Outdoor Adventure on Adolescents’ Well-Being and Nature Connection—a Comparison With a Drama Workshop
Sociology (8 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Urban Green Space and Health (7 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Outdoor and Experiential Education (4 works) · Qualitative research (4 works) · Social science (4 works) · Ecology (3 works)