How exercising outdoors can prevent depression and diabetes
Doing any kind of exercise outdoors could help prevent several diseases including depression and type 2 diabetes, the first study of its kind has found.
Physical activity in natural environments prevent nearly 13,000 cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) a year in England and save treatment costs of more than £100m, researchers from the University of Exeter said.
NCDs are a group of conditions that cannot be transmitted between people and result in long-term health consequences. The most common – including heart and chronic lung disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes – cause 74 per cent of global mortality and their frequency is rising, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The study included beaches and coast, countryside, and open spaces in towns and cities such as parks. Using data including a survey of the English population, the research team estimated how many cases of six NCDs – major depressive disorder, type 2 diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, ischaemic stroke, colon cancer, and breast cancer – are prevented through nature-based recreational exercise.
In 2019, 22-million adults in England aged 16 years or older visited natural environments at least once a week. Using reported exercise levels, the researchers estimate this prevented 12,763 cases of NCDs – most being major depressive disorder (MDD) – creating annual healthcare savings of £108.7m.
The largest cost savings resulted from prevention of MDD at £92.7m , followed by type 2 diabetes at £11.1m, ischaemic heart disease at £2.9m, and ischaemic stroke at £1.5m. The smallest cost saving resulted from the prevention of breast cancer, at £120,275.
Although it has been reported that exercising specifically in natural environments is more beneficial for a range of psychological outcomes compared with urban environments, this is the first time an assessment such as this has been conducted on a national scale, the research team said.
“And we’ve almost certainly underestimated the true value of nature-based physical activity in terms of disease prevention,” Dr James Grellier from the University of Exeter Medical School, told i.
“Although we have focused on six of the most common non-communicable diseases, there are several less common diseases that can be prevented by physical activity, including other types of cancer and mental ill health. It’s important to note that our estimates represent annual costs. Since chronic diseases can affect people for many years, the overall value of physical activity at preventing each case is certainly much higher.”
Physical inactivity is associated with one in six deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost £7.4bn annually. The population is around 20 per cent less active than in the 60s and if current trends continue, it will be 35 per cent less active by 2030 increasing the economic cost on the NHS and society as a whole through informal care and productivity losses.
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines recommend each week adults do at least 150 minutes moderate intensity activity, 75 minutes’ vigorous activity, or a mixture of both. Strengthening activities on two days and reducing extended periods of sitting are also recommended.
The Exeter team hopes its study, published in Environment International, should motivate decision-makers seeking to increase physical activity in the local population to invest in natural spaces, such as parks, to make it easier for people to be physically active.
Dr Grellier said: “The basic premise of the journal article is that any physical exercise is good for you. But we only look at physical activity done recreationally in nature. And we don’t care which exercise people do – nothing is particularly good for specific diseases. The point is just that people do something. Doing it outside is great because it’s free, gives you the benefits of nature contact, and possibly also the benefits of social contact.”
