Ribeiro, H.; Santana, K.V.S.; Oliver, S.L. Natural Environments in University Campuses and Students’ Well-Being. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2024, 21, 413.
Ribeiro, H.; Santana, K.V.S.; Oliver, S.L. Natural Environments in University Campuses and Students’ Well-Being. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 413.
Ribeiro, H.; Santana, K.V.S.; Oliver, S.L. Natural Environments in University Campuses and Students’ Well-Being. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2024, 21, 413.
Ribeiro, H.; Santana, K.V.S.; Oliver, S.L. Natural Environments in University Campuses and Students’ Well-Being. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 413.
Abstract
Most recent university campuses follow the North American model, built on city limits or countryside, with large separate buildings in open green spaces. Studies suggest that prevalence and severity of mental health issues among university students are increasing over the past decade in most countries. University services were created to face this growing problem, however individual based interventions have limited effects on mental health and well-being of a large population. Our aim was to verify if and how the natural environment in Campuses is focused on programs to cope with the issue of mental health and well-being among students. Systematic review of literature was undertaken with search in Scopus and LILACS with the keywords “green areas” AND “well-being” AND “Campus”, following PRISMA guidelines. As a result, 32 articles were selected. Research on the topic is recent, mostly in the USA, Bulgaria, and China. Most studies used objective information on campuses’ greenness and/or university students’ perception. Mental health was usually measured by validated scores. Findings of all the studies indicated positive association between campus greenery and well-being of students. We conclude that there is a large potential for use of university campuses in programs and sites for students´ restoration and stress relief.
Keywords
mental health; well-being; university campus; greenness; nature-based solutions
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
