People who live near the sea may be healthier
By Rachael Rettner
Living near the beach may come with an
extra perk: better health.
A new study analyzed information from
more than 48 million people in England and found that the nearer they lived to
the coast, the more likely people were to report good health within the past
year.
The results held even after the
researchers took into account possible health factors such as age, sex,
socioeconomic status, and whether they lived near parks or other green spaces.
The difference from living near the
coast was relatively small. About 1 percent more of the people living within
half a mile of the sea reported good health than did the people more than 30
miles from the sea.
But a small effect, when applied to an
entire population, can have a substantial impact on public health, said study
researcher Ben Wheeler of Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in
Exeter, England.
Living near the coast may be associated
with better health because the seaside environment reduces
stress, the researchers said. They pointed to
another British study that found that people who took trips to the coast
experienced more feelings of calmness and relaxation than those who visited
urban parks or the countryside.
However, it's too soon to advise people
to hit the
beach to improve health, Wheeler said. The study only found an association,
not a cause-effect link, and it's possible other factors could explain the
results.
For instance, it could be that people
who are wealthier, and therefore healthier, are more able to move to desired
locations such as the coast, Wheeler said, a phenomenon known as the migrant
effect.
But the study did find that the
association between coastal living and better health was strongest for those
living in the most deprived areas, which perhaps indicates that wealth cannot
explain the results, Wheeler said.
Because the study looked at only England
— an island country in which everyone lives within 72 miles of the coast — it's
not clear whether the findings would apply to other populations.
Far from England, a health expert not
involved in the study said that while the British research certainly doesn't
prove that people's health and the place they live are linked, it's possible
that "proximity to the seas … does something for our bodies."
Dr. David Katz, director of the
Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, said: "I
know I find the smell of the ocean and the sound of the surf a wonderful
tonic."
If future studies confirm the results,
the next step would be to find out what it is about coastal environments that
benefits health. Wheeler said it may then be possible to bring those benefits
to people living in other areas, through virtual environments, for instance.
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