Financial and carbon pressures on NHS services heighten the need to find ways to improve health using less resource. There is already strong research evidence for a connection between access to the natural outdoors and the mental and physical health of individuals and populations.
On 2nd March CSH and the Ecosystems Knowledge Network delivered a Valuing Nature Programme event to ensure that tools and methods are available to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of addressing local health priorities through increased physical activity in the natural outdoors in the UK. The programme took diabetes as a focus and included: 1. Challenges in policy and practice 2. Learning from local health priorities and opportunities for improved access to the natural outdoors for the population of Birmingham 3. Future research priorities
It was an incredible day, chaired by Professor John Newton, Chief Knowledge Officer, and including presentations from academic health and environmental economists alongside public health and natural environment experts, and economists from Price Waterhouse with a huge amount of energy in the room. Tweets included: Will Evison @Will_Evison Mar 2 Brilliant multi-disciplinary effort today: #publichealth experts, env. & health economists banging heads together! @ValuingN @EcosystemsNet