Author(s): Catharine Ward Thompson

Current Affairs

Our modern lifestyles often cause us to spend more time sitting behind a desk than being active outdoors. At the same time, our general health is deteriorating. The alarming rise in obesity, sedentary lifestyles and mental ill-health across the developed world has resulted in an urgent desire to understand how the environment, in particular the outdoor environment, influences health. The environment has always had an impact on individuals' health -- but whereas in previous centuries the main factors were disease and pollution, nowadays our wellbeing is affected by having moved to mainly indoor lifestyles and the luxury of door-to-door transport. In order to further understand the relationships between landscape, lifestyles and health, this book addresses innovative new statistical methods and questions how future research can be better targeted to inform policy and practice in health promotion. The contributing authors are international experts in researching landscape, health and the environment, drawn together by OPENspace directors who have a unique reputation in this area.
This pioneering book is a valuable resource for postgraduate researchers and practitioners in both environmental and health studies.