Nature Rx

Reemergence of Pediatric Nature-Based Therapeutic Programs From the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Bibliographic Data

ID11033730
AuthorsMeghan Crnic (0009-0000-9843-4867, Meghan Crnic is with the History and Sociology of Science Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Michelle C. Kondo is with the Northern Research Station of the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Philadelphia, PA.), Michelle C Kondo (0000-0001-9152-1589, Meghan Crnic is with the History and Sociology of Science Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Michelle C. Kondo is with the Northern Research Station of the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Philadelphia, PA.)
Year2019
Volume109
Issue10
Pages1371-1378
Publication date2019-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2019.305204
PMID31415211
OpenAlexW2967346944
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited12

Across the United States, physicians are prescribing patients nature. These “Nature Rx” programs promote outdoor activity as a measure to combat health epidemics stemming from sedentary lifestyles. Despite the apparent novelty of nature prescription programs, they are not new. Rather, they are a reemergence of nature-based therapeutics that characterized children’s health programs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These historic programs were popular among working-class urban families, physicians, and public health officials. By contrast, adherence is a challenge for contemporary programs, especially in socially disadvantaged areas. Although there are differences in nature prescription programs and social context, historical antecedents provide important lessons about the need to provide accessible resources and build on existing social networks. They also show that nature—and its related health benefits—does not easily yield itself to precise scientific measurements or outcomes. Recognizing these constraints may be critical to nature prescription programs’ continued success and support from the medical profession

Context (archaeology) · Disadvantaged · Medical prescription · Novelty · Political science · Public health · Public relations · Climate Change and Health Impacts · History · Law · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology · Urban Green Space and Health

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Open DOISci-HubOpen Access