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ObjectiveResearch on adults has identified an immigrant health advantage, known as the ‘immigrant health paradox’, by which migrants exhibit better health outcomes than natives. Is this health advantage transferred from parents to children in the form of higher birth weight relative to children of natives?SettingWestern Europe and Australia.ParticipantsWe use data from nine birth cohorts participating in the LifeCycle Project, including five studies with large samples of immigrants’ children: Etude Longitudinale Française depuis l’Enfance—France (N=12 494), the Raine Study—Australia (N=2283), Born in Bradford—UK (N=4132), Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study—Netherlands (N=4030) and the Generation R study—Netherlands (N=4877). We include male and female babies born to immigrant and native parents.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome is birth weight measured in grams. Different specifications were tested: birth weight as a continuous variable including all births (DV1), the same variable but excluding babies born with over 4500 g (DV2), low birth weight as a 0–1 binary variable (1=birth weight below 2500 g) (DV3). Results using these three measures were similar, only results using DV1 are presented. Parental migration status is measured in four categories: both parents natives, both born abroad, only mother born abroad and only father born abroad.ResultsTwo patterns in children’s birth weight by parental migration status emerged: higher birth weight among children of immigrants in France (+12 g, pConclusionThe immigrant health advantage is not universally transferred to children in the form of higher birth weight in all host countries. Further research should investigate whether this cross-national variation is due to differences in immigrant communities, social and healthcare contexts across host countries.

Background The European Environment Agency estimates that 75% of the European population lives in cities. Despite the many advantages of city life, the risks and challenges to health arising from urbanization need to be addressed to tackle the growing burden of disease and health inequalities in the cities. This article presents the study protocol of the Urban Environment and Health: a cross-sectional multiregional project based on Population Health Surveys in Spain (DAS-EP project), that aims to investigate the complex association between the urban environmental exposures (UrbEE) and health. Methods DAS-EP is a Spanish multiregional cross-sectional project that combines Population Health Surveys (PHS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) allowing to collect rich individual level data from 17,000 adult citizens participating in the PHS conducted in the autonomous communities of the Basque Country and Andalusia, the Valencian Community, and the city of Barcelona in years 2021–2023. This study focuses on the population living in cities or metropolitan areas with more than 100,000 inhabitants. UrbEE are described by objective estimates at participants’ home addresses by GIS and subjective indicators present in PHS. The health outcomes included in the PHS and selected for this study are self-perceived health (general and mental), prevalence of chronic mental disorders, health-related quality of life, consumption of medication for common mental disorders, and sleep quality. We aim to further understand the direct and indirect effect between UrbEE and health as well as to estimate the impact at the population level taking respondents’ socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and lifestyle into account. Discussion This study is a clear commitment to the generation of urban environment indicators within the field of public health with a health equity perspective. The results will be novel for the inclusion of objective & subjective UrbEE as well as the combination of PHS from different study areas and GIS estimates. This methodological approach will provide a large volume of information and a large sample size of the study. The results will ultimately help identify urban indicators, increasing the capacity to detect and intervene in community health, improving the routine surveillance and monitoring of the cities’ health information systems.

Sedentary behaviour (SB) may be related to telomere length (TL) attrition due to a possible pro-inflammatory effect. This study examined the association between parent-reported sedentary behaviour (SB) and leukocyte TL at the age of 4 and telomere tracking from 4 to 8 years. In the Spanish birth cohort Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) project, we analysed data from children who attended follow-up visits at age 4 (n = 669) and 8 (n = 530). Multiple robust regression models were used to explore the associations between mean daily hours of SB (screen time, other sedentary activities, and total SB) at 4 years categorised into tertiles and TL at 4 years and difference in TL rank between age 4 and 8, respectively. At the age of 4, the results showed that children with the highest screen time (1.6–5.0 h/day) had a shorter TL of −3.9% (95% CI: −7.4, −0.4; p = 0.03) compared with children in the lowest tertile (0.0–1.0 h/day). Between 4 and 8 years, a higher screen time (highest tertile group vs. lowest tertile) was associated with a decrease in the LTL rank of −1.9% (95% CI: −3.8, −0.1; p = 0.03) from 4 to 8 years. Children exposed to a higher screen time at 4 years were more prone to have shorter TL at 4 and between 4 and 8 years of age. This study supports the potential negative effect of SB during childhood on cellular longevity. This research was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III/Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PI18/00825: “Dieta y actividad física en embarazo y tras el nacimiento y longitud del telómero en niños y adolescentes: Proyecto TeloDiPA” and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): “Una manera de hacer Europa”); the Generalitat Valenciana (GVA/2021/191, CIAICO/2021/132); the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS-PI09/00090, PI04/2018, PI09/02311, PI13/02429, PI16/1288, PI18/00909, PI19/1338 and FIS-PI18/01142 incl. ERFD funds, PS20/0006), the Department of Health of the Basque Government (2013111089); the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS-PI13/02187 and FIS-PI18/01142 incl. ERFD funds), the Department of Health of the Basque Government (2015111065), and the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG15/221) and annual agreements with the municipalities of the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia y Azpeitia y Beasain); Obra Social Cajastur/Fundación Liberbank and Universidad de Oviedo; and Gobierno de España through Ministerio de Universidades under the grants CAS21/00008 and NextGenerationEU. DPB was supported by the Miguel Hernández University (Ayudas Movilidad Internacional 2021, Erasmus+ 2021) during the development of this study. In addition, DM holds a postdoctoral grant by the Flemish Scientific Fund (FWO grant 12X9620N). The funders had no role in the design of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval and submission of the manuscript. The APC was funded by PI18/00825.

Urban landscapes are becoming the main ecosystem for human life. Given that urban living can be associated with poor psychological health, one specific challenge faced by cities is related to psychological well-being. The current essay discusses how restorative environments research can offer significant insights into the strategy of healthy cities by guiding the exploration of their restorative outcomes. We propose a theoretical model elucidating the physical and symbolic features of urban settings that can aid processes of active and passive restoration-based on theory and evidence from restorative environments research. Future research should consider urban psychological restoration in a broader sense and lend greater relevance to the exploration of the restorative potential of the full range of urban built settings.

Environmental noise is considered the second most serious environmental risk factor in Europe. However, little evidence exists regarding its impact on health and sleep in children, and the results are inconclusive. In this study, we aim to analyse the effect of environmental noise exposure on 11-year-old children’s sleep habits. Data were collected from 377 participants in the INMA-Gipuzkoa (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) cohort project using both parent-reported and actigraphic sleep measures. The results revealed that 60% of children have a day-evening-night environmental noise exposure (Lden) of above 55 dB, which is defined as a “high noise level”. No differences in noise exposure were observed between different socioeconomic groups. However, no effect of environmental noise was found on sleep variables. The paper highlights the importance of studying how environmental noise may affect children’s sleep. This study was funded by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PI09/00090, FIS-PI13/02187, FIS-PI17/01340, FIS-PI18/01142, FIS-PI18/01237 incl FEDER funds), the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (EST-2016 RF-21), CIBERESP, the Basque Government Department of Health (2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089, 2015111065 and 2018111086), the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council (DFG06/002, DFG08/001, DFG15/221 and DFG 89/17) and annual agreements with the municipalities of the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia, Azpeitia and Beasain).

Validated physical activity (PA) questionnaires are crucial for collecting information in large epidemiological studies during childhood. Thus, this study analyzed the validity of a parent-reported PA questionnaire based on the Children's Leisure Activities Study Survey by accelerometry in European children aged from 6 to 12 years old. We used data from 230 children of the Human Early-Life Exposome and Infancia y Medio Ambiente projects. Mean differences between moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) reported by the questionnaire and the accelerometer were calculated (min/day), and its associated factors were explored by multiple robust linear regression. The agreement between methods was examined using a Bland-Altman plot. The concurrent validity of assessing MVPA was analyzed by cohort-adjusted Spearman's partial correlations. ROC curve analysis was also used to explore the questionnaire's capability to identify active children based on the World Health Organization guidelines. A moderate correlation was found between parent-reported and accelerometer MVPA (rho = 0.41, p < 0.001). The child's sex (girl) was statistically associated with the mean MVPA difference between methods. However, this questionnaire accurately identified physically active children (area under the curve = 83.8% and 82.7% for boys and girls, cut-points = 68.6 and 45.4 min/day in MVPA, respectively). Consequently, this questionnaire is suitable for classifying active children in order to monitor public health interventions regarding PA. This study was supported by funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007–2013] under grant agreement no. 308333—the HELIX project. INMA data collections were supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176; CB06/02/0041; PI041436; PI081151 incl. FEDER funds; PI12/01890 incl. FEDER funds; CP13/00054 incl. FEDER funds; PI15/00118 incl. FEDER funds; CP16/00128 incl. FEDER funds; PI16/00118 incl. FEDER funds; PI16/00261 incl. FEDER funds; PI17/01340 incl. FEDER funds; PI18/00547 incl. FEDER funds, PI18/01237 incl. FEDER funds, PI18/00825 incl. FEDER funds); Generalitat Valenciana (GVA/2021/191); CIBERESP; and the Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT 1999SGR 00241; Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR (2009 SGR 501, 2014 SGR 822), Fundació La marató de TV3 (090430). ISGlobal acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SAF2012-32991 incl. FEDER funds), Agence Nationale de Securite Sanitaire de l’Alimentation de l’Environnement et du Travail (1262C0010; EST-2016 RF-21), EU Commission (261357, 308333, 603794 and 634453); and annual agreements with the municipalities of the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia y Azpeitia y Beasain). M.C. and M.G. hold Miguel Servet fellowships (CP16/00128, CPII18/00018) funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Social Fund “Investing in your future”. R.R.C.M. received funding from the National Institute for Health Research Applied Research Collaboration for Yorkshire and Humber.

This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the projects “CP14/00108, PI16/00261 and PI21/00266” (co-funded by European Regional Development Fund “A way to make Europe”). This study was also funded bygrants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176; CB06/02/0041; PI041436; PI081151incl. FEDER funds), CIBERESP, EU Commission (261357). We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019–2023” program (CEX2018-000806-S). This study was also funded by Grants from UE (FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1), Spain: ISCIII (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041; FIS-FEDER: PI03/1615, PI04/1509, PI04/1112, PI04/1931, PI05/1079, PI05/1052, PI06/1213, PI07/0314, PI09/02647, PI11/01007, PI11/02591, PI11/02038, PI13/1944, PI13/2032, PI14/00891, PI14/01687, PI16/1288, and PI17/00663…, Tahaei, Hana ; Gignac, Florence ; Pinar, Ariadna ; Fernandez-Barrés, Silvia ; Romaguera, Dora ; Vioque, Jesus ; Santa-Marina, Loreto ; Subiza-Pérez, Mikel ; Llop, Sabrina ; Soler-Blasco, Raquel ; Arija, Victoria ; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi ; Tardón, Adonina ; Riaño-Galán, Isolina ; Sunyer, Jordi ; Guxens, Monica ; Julvez, Jordi

Despite extensive study, the role of air pollution in gestational diabetes remains unclear, and there is limited evidence of the beneficial impact of residential greenness on metabolic dysfunction during pregnancy. We used data from mothers in the Spanish INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Project from 2003–2008. We obtained spatiotemporally resolved estimates of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposures in early pregnancy and estimated residential greenness using satellite-based Normal Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within 100, 300 and 500 m buffers surrounding the mother’s residence. We applied logistic regression models to evaluate associations between each of the three exposures of interest and (a) glucose intolerance and (b) abnormal lipid levels. We found limited evidence of associations between increases in PM2.5 and NO2 exposures and the metabolic outcomes. Though not statistically significant, high PM2.5 exposure (≥25 µg/m3) was associated with increased odds of glucose intolerance (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.82, 1.63) and high cholesterol (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.44). High NO2 exposure (≥39.8 µg/m3) was inversely associated with odds of high triglycerides (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.45, 1.08). Whereas NDVI was not associated with glucose intolerance, odds of high triglycerides were increased, although the results were highly imprecise. Results were unchanged when the air pollutant variables were included in the regression models. Given the equivocal findings in our study, additional investigations are needed to assess effects of air pollution and residential greenness on metabolic dysfunction during pregnancy. This work is supported by a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) fellowship from the Training in Precision Environmental Health Sciences (TPEHS) Program (NIH Grant No. T32ES027801). E.S., K.W.W., and C.I.A. were partially supported by a NIEHS P30 Environmental Health Sciences Core Center grant (P30ES030285). The INMA study was funded by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041; FIS-FEDER: PI03/1615, PI04/1509, PI04/1112, PI04/1931, PI05/1079, PI05/1052, PI06/0867, PI06/1213, PI07/0314, PI09/02647, PI11/01007, PI11/02591, PI11/02038, PI13/1944, PI13/2032, PI14/00891, PI14/01687, PI16/1288, PI17/00663, FIS-PI18/01142 incl. FEDER funds; Miguel Servet-FEDER CP11/00178, CP15/00025, and CPII16/00051, CPII18/00018), Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT 1999SGR 00241, EU Commission (FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1), Generalitat Valenciana: FISABIO (UGP 15-230, UGP-15-244, and UGP-15-249), and Alicia Koplowitz Foundation 2017, Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093), Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/002), and annual agreements with the municipalities of the study area (Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia y Azpeitia y Beasain). We also acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the State Research Agency through the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023” Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program.

Most studies conducted on Nordic Walking have addressed bio-medical questions, such as recovery from injuries or medical interventions and its therapeutic value for various health conditions. Howev...

This study explores the roles of place attachment and place identification in the evaluation of the restorative potential of landscapes. Two hundred university students recruited at campuses in the Basque Country (Spain) and Chile evaluated the restorative value of a set of landscape photographs including local and non-local locations. The results indicated that local natural landscapes were preferred and assessed as more restorative as compared to non-local ones, and that place attachment and identification positively predicted their restoration ratings. Conversely, urban local landscapes were less preferred and seen as less restorative than their non-local counterparts. In this latter case, attachment remained a positive predictor whereas identification was found to negatively contribute to the restorative potential of local urban landscapes. In line with recent research, we found that person-place bonding affects landscape preferences and the perception of its restorative properties. This study contributes to an emerging line of research that addresses the role of a wider set of personal, social and cultural variables in the psychological restoration process.

The study of psychological restoration in urban settings has undergone significant growth in recent years. The aim of this paper is to develop an instrument for the objective evaluation of ...

Physical neighborhood attributes such as greenness, walkability and environmental pollution may have an influence on people's behavior and health. It has been claimed that part of such effects may come from the promotion of physical activity and the strengthening of social cohesion. In this study, we recruited samples of pregnant women in two Spanish cities (Donostia-San Sebastian, 440 participants and Barcelona, 360 participants) who filled in a questionnaire and wore an accelerometer for 1 week during the first trimester of pregnancy. The influence of perceived residential greenness, walkability and environmental pollution on mental health (GHQ-12) was tested in two structural equation models that included light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and social cohesion as mediators. Two solutions showing excellent and good fits (Donostia-San Sebastian: X2(3) = 2.56, p = .465, CFI = 1, RMSEA

Residential greenness may positively impact diverse human health indicators through the reduction of air pollution, the improvement of psychological health, and the promotion of physical activity. Previous studies indicate a weak but positive association with pregnancy outcomes. Our aim was to test the multiple pathways from residential greenness to pregnancy outcomes model, using residential NO2 concentrations, psychological health, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the first trimester of pregnancy, in a sample of 440 pregnant women residing in Donostia, Spain. Three metrics of residential greenness were calculated around each participant&rsquo, s home address: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) within 300 m, and green space (&gt, 5000 m2) availability within 300 and 500 m. Residential NO2 concentrations, psychological health, and MVPA were explored as mediators of the associations between these metrics and the following pregnancy outcomes: birth weight (BW), low birth weight (LBW), prematurity, small for gestational age (SGA), and large for gestational age (LGA). Educational attainment, parity, and body mass index (BMI) were treated as covariates. Counterfactual mediation analyses showed very low to null statistical support for an association between any of the greenspace metrics and pregnancy outcomes in the full sample. Green space availability (300 m) was associated with lower BW and showed a marginal protective effect against LGA.

Background: Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient for humans, the diet being the main source of exposure. Some epidemiological studies describe a negative association between prenatal Mn and later neuropsychological development, but results are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to explore the association between prenatal Mn exposure and neuropsychological development assessed at 4 years of age. Methods: Study subjects were 304 mother-child pairs from the Gipuzkoa cohort of the INMA (Environment and Childhood) Project. Mn was measured in newborns&rsquo, hair. Children&rsquo, s neuropsychological development was assessed at 4 years of age using the McCarthy Scales of Children&rsquo, s Abilities. Multivariate linear regression models were built. Stratified analysis by sex was performed. Generalized additive models were used to assess the shape of the relation. Results: The median Mn concentration in newborns&rsquo, hair was 0.42 &mu, g/g (95% CI = 0.38, 0.46). The association between Mn levels and the neuropsychological development was not statistically significant for the general cognitive scale (&beta, [95% CI] = 0.36 [&minus, 5.23, 5.95]), motor scale (&beta, [95% CI] = 1.9 [&minus, 3.74, 7.55]) or any of the other outcomes. No sex-specific pattern was found. The best shape describing the relationship was linear for all the scales. Conclusion: Our results suggest that prenatal Mn concentrations measured in newborns&rsquo, hair do not affect cognitive or motor development at 4 years of age in boys or in girls at the observed Mn levels.

Municipal waste incineration plants (MWIPs) are a source of emission of diverse pollutants that have been associated with environmental and health effects, mainly in relation to premises that are old and not well equipped or maintained. As a result, the public usually holds a negative view of such plants and tends to react adversely to construction of new plants. Understanding a population’s perceptions is key to ensuring the correct development of such infrastructure and adequately managing population health concerns and behaviours. In this study, we surveyed 173 residents living close ( ≤ 10 km) to an MWIP being built in San Sebastian (Gipuzkoa, Spain) and 164 living further away (>10 km). The questionnaire included sociodemographic and psycho-environmental measures. Answers to the questionnaire revealed a fairly low acceptance rate and the perception of a high risk for human health and the environment (average scores of 0.57, 3.07 and 2.89 respectively in a 0 to 4 scale), with no statistically significant differences between people living nearby and further afield. A hierarchical regression model built to explore the public’s acceptance of the MWIP explained 59% of the variance. Dominance and relative weight analyses revealed that the most important predictors of acceptance were trust in the information provided by the local government and perceived risk for human health, which accounted for 33.7% and 27.4% of the variance explained by the model respectively. Preference for landfilling and MWIP acceptance in a farther location made a less relevant contribution.

Almost four decades ago, Attention Restoration Theory and Stress Recovery Theory postulated that nature could help people to recover from the attentional fatigue and the emotional negative outcomes coming from their daily performance. Since then, these theories have inspired a great amount of research. In this review, 19 restoration pretest-posttest field studies were selected. A systematic analysis of the papers was conducted using two rating tools to assess the quality of the studies and to detect their main strengths and weaknesses. The results allowed us to synthesise the results of this sample of studies, to reflect about the nature of the research conducted until today and to point to some issues and challenges that might be addressed in future studies.

Most studies on psychological restoration and favorite places have addressed restoration in green or blue outdoor settings whereas the interest around built and indoor settings has been scarce. In this study, we analyzed restorative experiences in favorite indoor and outdoor urban places using a top-down approach by including psycho-environmental variables (nature and urban orientedness, place bonding) and personality traits (Big Five). A sample of 945 university students and staff recruited in 5 western countries (Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, UK and Australia) answered an online questionnaire. In the linear regression models, perceived restorative potential, place attachment and place identification were the strongest predictors of subjective restoration. Personality traits did not play a significant role in restorative experiences. This work extends restoration research by considering the role of indoor, as well as outdoor environments and highlights the role of certain top-down characteristics in restorative experiences.

Over the past few decades, a significant volume of research has been dedicated to the study of psychological restoration within and outside the field of Environmental Psychology. Following a period during which this research focused on gathering evidence in favour of the restorative potential of nature, the notion of restoration in urban settings is beginning to emerge as a new area of interest, with implications for the improvement of urban quality of life. This article presents an adaptation of two scales to be used in specific urban settings (squares, streets or boulevards), which could be valuable to the scientific community to this end: the Restoration Outcome Scale and the Attachment and Identification Scale. An online survey was conducted with 170 subjects. The adapted versions of these instruments obtained adequate reliability indices, and the results also indicate that these scales show convergent validity.

Aesthetic qualifies of urban green and blue spaces have received considerable attention in scientific literature but are operationalized in multiple ways and lack clear assessment and measurement techniques. To fill in this gap, we developed a Perceived Environmental Aesthetic Qualifies Scale (PEAQS). Based on previous literature both in philosophy and empirical sciences we created a questionnaire with 36 statements and three open questions focusing on the perceived aesthetic qualifies of environments. This questionnaire was used to sample 331 respondents in three sites different in their level of naturalness, human intervention and design: a natural-like but managed urban forest, a partly human-made and intensively managed bay-park and a completely human-made green roof. These sites were selected to represent a variety of urban green and blue infrastructure common in cities. The results suggest a scale that consists of 23 statements and five factors that reflect perceived aesthetic qualifies of urban green spaces: Harmony, Mystery, Multisensority & Nature, Visual Spaciousness and Visual Diversity, and Sublimity. We give guidelines for further development and testing of the scale in order to prove its potential to develop the field of environmental aesthetics and to demonstrate its usefulness for adaptive, evidence-based urban planning and design.

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Stress Recovery Theory (SRT) highlight the restorative properties of natural or green environments. However, the study of the psychological benefits obtained through contact with built open urban places, such as squares or streets, has received far less attention. In this paper we present a within-subjects pretest-posttest quasi-experimental field study that assessed the restoration experience of a sample of university students (N = 34) visiting two squares in a European city. Statistical analyses revealed that participants' attentional performance improved and negative affect (depression and stress) decreased after spending 20 min in the squares. There was no increase in positive affect. Nature orientedness was significantly related to some of the pretest-posttest changes, leading to lower fatigue and attentional restoration in one square. The results suggest that built open urban settings can provide some restorative benefits. acceptedVersion

Urban beaches and parks are providers of numerous ecosystem services. In the cultural sphere, place bonding and psychological restoration might significantly contribute to the health and well-being of citizens. In this manuscript, we present a study aimed to evaluate the extent to which three urban beaches and three urban parks offered these advantages to a sample of users (n = 429) in the city of Donostia-San Sebastian (Spain). A second aim was to build a predictive model of restoration through both objective and subjective measures. We assessed the design and physical features of the settings using the Natural Environment Scoring Tool (NEST) and gathered a range of information about the users via a paper & pencil questionnaire. The survey included socio-demographics, questions regarding the frequency and patterns of use, and four different psycho-environmental scales: Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), Place Attachment and Identification Scale, and Restoration Outcome Scales (ROS). We found differences regarding the profile of users and the activities carried out in each of the settings. Users of beaches reported higher levels of attachment, identification, and experienced restoration than the participants surveyed in urban parks (p

Psychological restoration is a widely study topic in environmental health, environmental psychology and urban studies literatures. Most of the attention has been directed towards the benefits of the contact with natural/green spaces. On the contrary, the study of the restorative properties of built settings, even though it has experienced a relative increase in recent years, remains greatly understudied. In this work, we assessed the objective design features of a sample of 6 urban squares and conducted a survey study to measure the patterns of use of such settings and restorative experiences of their users. Regression analyses revealed that both objective variables and the patterns of use were scarcely associated to the experience of restoration whereas psychological variables such as the perception of the restorative qualities of the squares and the psychological bonding to them remained strongly associated even in the presence of the rest of the variables included in the study. The implications of the study for this line of research and for urban planning initiatives are discussed.

Health-related risk perceptions concerning environmental exposures reflect the public's awareness of certain environmental issues that may compromise their health. These perceptions may trigger coping strategies and self-protective behaviors, which are key for protecting people's health. With this study, we sought 1) to assess the general public's perceptions of risk from a set of environmental exposures compared with the assessment of experts; and 2) to build predictive models of the general public's risk perceptions using a comprehensive set of sociodemographic and psycho-environmental variables. We recruited a sample of 338 inhabitants (208 women, 45.8 years on average) of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country). Participants completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire comprising questions on general sociodemographic characteristics and on health-related behaviors, and several psycho-environmental scales assessing general environmental knowledge, nature relatedness, pro-environmental behavior, environmental concerns and place attachment. Additionally, we contacted 33 regional experts who also evaluated the risk associated with the given set of exposures. Risk scores assigned by participants ranged from 1.51 to 3.42 (out of 4) and were higher than those assigned by the experts. Nonetheless, the pattern of risk prioritization was similar in the two groups. Explanatory models accounted for small to moderate shares of the variance in environmental exposure risk (R2 = 0.05 to 0.17). The best predictors of risk perceptions were gender, age, environmental knowledge and egoistic environmental concerns. Biospheric concerns, nature relatedness and educational level hardly made any contribution. Assessment of past experiences with each environmental exposure, affective reactions towards them and psychological traits could enrich future explanatory models.

Over recent decades, the study of psychological restoration has attracted a considerable amount of interest within and without the boundaries of environmental psychology, with most of the work focused on analyzing restoration in natural contexts. However, little attention has been paid to the (possible) restorative potential of urban settings, as they have usually been expected not to be restorative and to present some elements that might imply negative health outcomes in the short and long term. In this field study, our aim was to evaluate restoration in urban squares. To this end, we measured participants' attentional and affective states both before and after spending half an hour in an urban square. A sample of 46 subjects contemplated and walked through one of the two selected squares that differed in restorative potential (PRS). Analyses revealed a statistically significant increase in cognitive performance and a decrease in negative affect in both squares. They also showed that participants reported greater stress recovery rates in one of the settings. These results support the idea that cities can be potentially restorative and justify the relevance of a research area focused on the urban designs, which may offer psychological benefits to urban citizens.

The IKD GAZTE project's main purpose is to promote the empowerment of students by implementing active-learning-methodologies in UPV / EHU. Completely managed by students, a module, based on the development of learning skills related to Sense of Initiative, has been designed and pilot implemented. In this module, students from UPV/EHU’s different faculties and schools carried out multidisciplinary projects that turned to be social services. They acquired experience in making real projects and lived a meaningful learning experience. Finally, we noticed an increase in the initiative and proactivity of the students.