Fellowship awarded to the University of Aberdeen to evaluate the health and wellbeing value of NHS Scotland’s outdoor spaces.
The research will determine health and wellbeing and economic value of outdoor spaces on NHS sites.
Potential to inform Climate and Nature Policy in Scotland and internationally.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen have been awarded a Fellowship to investigate the value of outdoor spaces in NHS sites.
The Fellowship is jointly funded by the SEFARI Gateway (Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation) and Public Health Scotland and will contribute to the implementation of the NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy building on previous research commissioned by Public Health Scotland and NatureScot.
The Fellowship, undertaken in the University’s Health Economics Research Unit (HERU) will determine how NHS outdoor spaces – known as ‘natural capital’ are used, and the economic value of the health and wellbeing benefits to different users including NHS staff.
NHS Scotland’s natural capital is made up of a combination of green and blue spaces. Green spaces can range from gardens with benches outside many GP Surgeries and NHS Hospitals, to extensive areas with paths for people to walk and exercise. Blue spaces are areas that feature water like streams or ponds.
The team will use existing Office for National Statistics guidance, to design surveys which will include bespoke economic methods, such as Contingent Valuation and Contingent Behaviour – both commonly used to obtain monetary values for environmental services. These methods directly ask people about their behaviour and how they value different types of outdoor spaces.
Dr Luis Loria-Rebolledo, Research Fellow in HERU, who is leading the research said: “There are potentially significant health and wellbeing benefits that come from the use of these sites for recreation and leisure. However, the monetary value of these benefits to society, and across different users, is not known.
“Obtaining these values could serve as a guide for future decisions about the use of NHS outdoor spaces in Scotland.
“This project speaks to a priority of the Scottish Government who are regularly updated on progress. The outcome is policy relevant and is high impact as it has the potential to inform natural capital accounting and Climate Policy in Scotland and internationally.
“We hope the results of this study will inform future decisions in Scotland and contribute to our understanding of how we can measure and value natural capital across the world.”