Environmental qualities in green and natural spaces: Fresh air / peace and tranquillity and feeling closer to nature as pathways to perceived visit-related health benefits

Malekinezhad, Fahimeh ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2774-3384 and Courtney, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5683-8502 (2026) Environmental qualities in green and natural spaces: Fresh air / peace and tranquillity and feeling closer to nature as pathways to perceived visit-related health benefits. Landscape and Urban Planning, 278. art:105812. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2026.105812 (In Press)

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Abstract

Rising levels of stress and mental ill-health have intensified interest in nature-based public health approaches, including green social prescribing and nature as medicine. However, it remains unclear whether different environmental qualities are associated with different aspects of visit experience, and how these experiences relate to perceived visit-related health benefits. This study examined direct associations of biodiversity, safety, accessibility and cleanliness problems with perceived visit-related health benefits, and indirect associations involving fresh air / peace and tranquillity and feeling closer to nature. Cross-sectional data from 19,814 adults in England who reported a recent visit to a green or natural space in the People and Nature Survey (PaNS) were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). In the direct-effects model, biodiversity, safety and accessibility were positively associated with perceived visit-related health benefits, whereas cleanliness problems showed a negative association. Most of these direct associations were substantially attenuated when the two visit experiences were included, and both experiences were positively associated with perceived benefits. The pathway model also revealed differentiated associations across experiences, with safety most closely associated with fresh air / peace and tranquillity, biodiversity with feeling closer to nature, and cleanliness problems showing a negative indirect association through fresh air / peace and tranquillity. By considering qualities of the setting alongside experiences during the visit, the findings highlight the value of a quality-experience-benefit perspective in which different environmental qualities may show different patterns of association with perceived visit-related health benefits through particular visit experiences. This perspective may help inform the selection and management of natural settings used in nature-based public-health approaches, particularly where specific visit experiences are intended to be supported.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Green space; Perceived environmental qualities; Visit experiences; Perceived visit-related health benefits; People and Nature Survey (PaNS); PLS-SEM
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine > RA790 Mental health. Mental illness prevention. S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) > S900 Conservation of natural resources including land conservation
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute
Depositing User:	Nick Lewis
Date Deposited:	08 Oct 2026 08:59
Last Modified:	08 Oct 2026 11:00
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16577

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