Outdoor recreation a treasure chest for public health

Transcription

1 Health Promotion Research - An International Forum Trondheim august 2012 Outdoor recreation a treasure chest for public health By Morten Dåsnes Friluftsrådenes Landsforbund The Association of Intermunicipal outdoor recreation boards

2 The Intermunicipal Outdoor Recreation Boards works locally/regionally with Secure, operate and maintain areas for outdoor recreation Give opinions in relevant plans and projects Prepare areas for outdoor recreation (parking, footpaths, signs, benches, barbecues etc) Information: Maps, folders, web-site, books, informationboards Activities Outdoor learning and activities for kindergarden and schools Guided tours Holiday activities for children and youth Activities for people with special needs

3 Friluftsrådenes Landsforbund (FL) The Association of Intermunicipal Outdoor Recreation Boards FL is a nationwide collaborative body for intermunicipal outdoor recreation boards. The main task is to work for the strengthening of the general outdoor life through own initiatives and by supporting the work of the member boards Influence outdoor policies, laws and regulations and economic framework conditions Give service to our members Contact with authorities and organizations

4 Outdoor recreation Government definition: «To stay and to perform physical activity outdoors to get environmental change and experience of nature» This means non-competitive, non-motorized leasure activities taking place in natural environments open for everybody.

5 An old treasure chest for public health: Theories about nature s impact on health can be traced far back to Hippocrates ( f.kr.) with gardens made for patients recovery, as well as to ancient Egypt where physicians prescribed garden walks for mentally ill royalty. Is this forgotten or hidden for today s decision-makers?

6 A treasure chest with many shrines A shrine with physical activity A shrine with silence A shrine with nature experiences A shrine with social community A shrine with peace All this shrines together and in combination make our treasure chest for public health so valuable.

7 Nature the best fitness center Endless possibilities for varied activities on soft surface Aerobic exercise training and Strength training for the whole body at the same time Inspiration from the nature experiences The best music - from birds, rivers, wind Free of charge, no closing time and no age limit

8 Nature all you need - for mental health Nature experience Silence, peace and calm Activity and exercises and / or relaxation Alone and/or together with family and friends Affiliation Report: Norwegian Ministry of Environment: Nature experience, outdoor recreation and our mental health

9 Why is outdoor recreation so important? To go for a walk is the most common physical activity Outdoor recreation is something people look upon as positive To pave the way for outdoor recreation is easy for society and for individuals Outdoor recreation is a lowtreshold low-cost acitivity everyone can do it with a lifelong perspective The combination of physical activity, natural environment and a social arena is unique

10 People prefer nature and local community for physical activity Alle spurte(%)n=1003 Driver ingen aktivitet i dag N=20 Trene i helsestudio Fitness center Drive fysisk aktivitet i naturen og nærmiljøet In nature and local communit Ikke noe/ønsker ikke å være mer aktiv Nothing Drive idrett innendørs Inndoor sports Drive idrett utendørs Outdoor sports

11 Our vision is to change the inactivity trend by using nature and outdoor recreation Where is the map to the treasure chest for public health?

12 Frisk i naturen Healthy in Nature - a joint project between the outdoor recreation organizations and authorities, and the health sector in each Nordic country - financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project started because of lack of attention for outdoor recreation and contact with nature within the public health area. Four main areas: 1. Outdoor education in preschool and school 2. Physical activity on prescription / prevention and treating health care 3. Green areas in urban / spatial planning 4. Outdoor recreation and mental health RESULT: Tools, arguments and documentation have been made available to get attention.

13 How can we change the inactivity trend? - Some important tracks and map signs which should do it easy to find the treasure chest: We have: - Knowledge - Expertise - Resources - Strong organizations - A good tradition of cooperation between public sector and voluntary organizations - A unique tradition of outdoor recreation

14 Conclusion: - We know where the treasure chest for public health is. - The challenge is to lead the desicionmakers and health-authorities to the right path and convince them of the value of using it

15 We think it is necessary with two different strategies when using the public health treasure chest: 1. Measures for everybody 2. Measures for people with special needs And will give examples from our work to illustrate this

16 All children in kindergarten and school Outdoor playing Outdoor learning Ideas and programs for all school subjects. Teacher training and class guidance The program emphasize Learning Physical activity Experiencing nature Social environment

17 Open, organized tours for everybody Open, organized activities Collection, coordination and information. Numerous outdoor activities are organized by different initiators in the regions. The challenge is to collect and distribute this information to everybody. One good example is «Naturlos» Organized walks with a guide with knowledge of Nature Culture/history Other

18 The Mayors walk Another example is «The Mayors walk» Organized walks to a place chosen by the mayor of the municipality Can be anything from a short walk in the near vicinity of a city to a mountain top. Creates interest in the media Creates interest from politicians Creates interest among people and more knowledge about where to walk

19 Building paths and trails Walking and hiking contributes most to physical activity! Most people wants to use paths and trails Most people wants paths and trails to be available close to where they live In 2011 the outdoor recreation boards made 77 km walking paths and an additional 98 km in cooperation with others parties They are responsible for the maintanance of 920 km paths/trails

20 Securing green areas for outdoor recreation To secure green areas is necessary to be able to give everybody a possibility to perform outdoor recreation The intermunicipal boards have worked closely with the authorities the last 75 years to secure areas, and are now responsible for 657 recreation areas This work is important and continues with undiminished effort.

21 Transportation authorities Education authorities Cultural authorities Labour authorities Health authorities Environment authorities Working cross-sectional Transportation by foot or bicycle must be facilitated A healthy population in healthy workplaces Cooperation with bodies responsible for preventive measures (frisklivssentraler) Being in nature educates people in environmental questions

22 Measures for people with special needs A. Program made to help disabled children to enjoy outdoor life «Klart det går» (you can do it) B. Availabilty to recreation areas for disabled and elderly mapping, recommendations, planning. (New areas/upgrade existing) - Specific preparations are normally necessary for disabled - Not everybody can reach everywhere - The mental barriers are often the hardest to overcome - Local services often non-existing

23 Measures for people with special needs Immigrants also benefit from taking part in outdoor recreation both health-related, integration related and socially. The intermunicipal boards have made specific programs for immigrants to introduce them to outdoor recreation in Norway - Norwegian nature (animals, plants, mushrooms, berries etc) - Laws and traditions (outdoor recreation act) - Activities like hiking, skiing, climbing, fishing etc etc The overall goal is to motivate to outdoor recreation on own initiative and to introduce them to the whole range of organizations and organized activities that are open for everybody.

24 Summary: Outdoor recreation should be used more in the work for public health it is a treasure chest