The Healthy Forest

Abstract

The World Health Organization (1946) defines health as the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely as the absence of disease or infirmity. Thus health is seen in a rather broad way, explicitly including people’s well-being. In spite of the advances made in medical and public health approaches, various forms of poor health have emerged in modern society. The majority of all causes of ill health, disease and premature deaths in the European Union and other parts of the industrialised world, relates to lifestyles, habits and environment (Nilsson et al., 2007). Contributing factors to poor health include an increasingly sedentary population, growing levels of psychological stress associated with urban living and contemporary work practices, and exposure to air pollution and other environmental hazards. Lack of physical activity and stress, for example, have led to increased occurrence of certain diseases where medication is perhaps only reducing the symptoms rather than combating the true cases of illness and reduced quality of life. Danish research shows that the proportion of the adult population that is severely overweight has increased significantly (e.g. Heitmann, 2000). Also young people are affected. Obese adolescents in Belgium tend to have a less positive attitude towards sports and participate less in sporting activities, thus worsening their health situation (e.g. Deforche et al., 2006). Obesity is not evenly distributed amongst all parts of society. Research in Austria showed, for example, that obesity is significantly higher amongst young immigrant girls as compared with other girls (Kirchengast & Schober, 2006). This chapter starts with a more general, historical perspective on the links between (city) forests and human health and well-being. After this, the impacts of city forests on mental, respectively physical health will be discussed. Finally, ways to further promote the contributions of city forests to better human health and wellbeing will be considered.