Healthy Me, Healthy Planet: Evaluation of a pilot planetary health library program.

Issue Addressed: The Healthy Me, Healthy Planet program was an evidence-informed pilot program conducted by a local libraries to promote the health co-benefits of action on climate change.

Background: An impact evaluation of the Healthy Me, Healthy Planet program was conducted using a mixed methods research design including pre-, during, and post-program surveys and online focus groups.

Methods: The evaluation included 136 participants aged 18+ years who were able to understand and communicate in English or simplified Chinese language.

Nature-Based Design in Stroke Rehabilitation Environments: A Scoping Review.

Objective: To identify, examine, and map the characteristics of knowledge of nature-based design in stroke rehabilitation facilities, examine how research in this field has been conducted and identify gaps in knowledge.

Background: Many stroke survivors have wide ranging impacts, resulting in long hospital stays to undertake rehabilitation. The physical environment can influence brain recovery; however, there is limited evidence to support the design of effective rehabilitation environments.

Exploring Australian university students' and staff members' perspectives on an animal-assisted intervention as a health promotion initiative on campus.

Issue Addressed: The university campus environment is unique and complex, with students and staff members experiencing increasing levels of stress and anxiety over time. One intervention being used internationally to alleviate stress and anxiety is an Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI). This research aimed to explore Australian university students' and staff members' perspectives on an AAI prior to implementation.

Minding our futures: Understanding climate-related mental wellbeing using systems science.

Introduction: Climate change impacts mental wellbeing through complex pathways and young people are among the most vulnerable to climate-related anxiety. Minding our Futures used methods from systems science to explore this issue and identify actions to promote mental wellbeing for young Australians (18-24 years).

Methods: This qualitative study used Group Model Building via three online facilitated workshops recruiting health, youth and climate practitioners and researchers engaged with young people around climate change and/or mental wellbeing (N = 14).

Informing Implementation: Perspectives from the Australian University Community Regarding an Animal Assisted Intervention.

Animal Assisted Interventions (AAIs) have become increasingly popular in the university setting; however, there is limited research exploring their potential on an Australian university campus and participants' views prior to implementation. Therefore, this study aimed to explore university staff members' and students' interest in participating in an AAI and their perspectives on intervention characteristics. This was a mixed methods study, using an online survey and semi-structured interviews.

Health empowerment scripts: Simplifying social/green prescriptions.

Social prescriptions are one term commonly used to describe non-pharmaceutical approaches to healthcare and are gaining popularity in the community, with evidence highlighting psychological benefits of reduced anxiety, depression and improved mood and physiological benefits of reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced hypertension. The relationship between human health benefits and planetary health benefits is also noted. There are, however, numerous barriers, such as duration and frequencies to participate in activities, access, suitability, volition and a range of unpredictable variables (such as inclement weather, shifting interests and relocating home amongst others) impeding a comprehensive approach to their use on a wider scale.

Perceived benefits of accessing a children’s sensory garden in a healthcare setting.

Objectives This pilot study aimed to explore the perceived benefits of a new children's sensory garden in a healthcare centre in south-eastern Melbourne that provides specialised care, support and guidance to parents. Methods A mixed-method research design was employed in this study comprising a combination of quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews) data collection methods. A total of 19 staff and 36 parents completed surveys relating to their experiences in the new garden.

Exploring Implementation of Animal-Assisted Interventions as Health Promotion Initiatives on University Campuses.

In this study, we aimed to inform implementation of an animal-assisted intervention (AAI) in an Australian university setting by exploring previously implemented university AAIs. Universities internationally have attempted to address growing concerns around student and staff stress and anxiety by adopting AAIs. However, despite stress and anxiety being common among Australian students and staff, studies are yet to investigate the implementation of an AAI as a strategy to promote health and well-being in this context.

Bushfires, COVID-19 and Young People's Climate Action in Australia.

Australia's summer bushfires of 2020-2021 were catastrophic, negatively impacting people, and the natural environment. This climate change-related event exacerbated the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on public health. Young people are a priority population whose health and livelihoods are significantly impacted by these events.

Hope, Coping and Eco-Anxiety: Young People's Mental Health in a Climate-Impacted Australia.

(1) Background: In Australia, young people are one of the most vulnerable populations to the mental health impacts of climate change. The aim of this article was to explore mental health promotion issues related to climate change for young people in Australia. (2) Methods: An exploratory mixed-method approach, co-led by young people, was used to engage young people living in Australia aged 18-24 years in semi-structured interviews (N = 14) and an online survey (N = 46).

Minding environment, minding workers: environmental workers' mental health and wellbeing.

Climate change and environmental degradation caused by human activities are having an irrefutable impact on human health, particularly mental health. People working in the environment sector are confronted with these impacts daily. This exploratory study was conducted as a response to concern in the sector about rising levels of worry and distress, and a need for organizational knowledge about effective workplace mental health strategies.

Animal-assisted interventions in universities: a scoping review of implementation and associated outcomes.

With levels of stress and anxiety rising among the university community, universities worldwide are implementing animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) on campus. However, to date, little is known about how to implement these initiatives. Questions also remain as to the impact of evaluated AAIs on health and wellbeing.

Planetary health indicators for the local level: opportunities and challenges in applying the happy planet index in Victoria, Australia.

The United Nations , and are blueprints for health promotion action that mandate human health is linked inextricably to the health of the environment. In the Anthropocene, new indicators are required to promote community engagement with, and measurement of, healthy and sustainable wellbeing for people and planet. This study explored the need for a metric such as the Happy Planet Index that explicitly links human health to health of the environment for a local level scale in Australia.

Exploring the co-benefits of environmental volunteering for human and planetary health promotion.

Issue Addressed: Health promotion has adopted the planetary health perspective to address the threats posed by climate change, environmental degradation and environmental deprivation. Nature is a setting for health promotion that can produce co-benefits for human health and the protection of the environment. This paper presents the findings of a New South Wales (NSW) study of peoples' motivations for, and co-benefits of, environmental volunteering.

Pawsitive Connections: The role of Pet Support Programs and pets on the elderly.

Objectives: This study describes the experiences of Pet Support Program clients in Melbourne, Australia and how the programs reduce the social isolation of the elderly. The study also describes the role of pets and associated health benefits of pet ownership.

Method: The qualitative description study comprised of two phases: a secondary data analysis of interviews with 14 PSP clients, and key informant interviews with four PSP providers.

The feasibility of a Pet Support Program in an Australian university setting.

Issue Addressed: Internationally, universities have recognised the benefits of Pet Support Programs (PSPs). However, existing literature has predominately focused on quantitatively measuring health outcomes associated with a PSP amongst student populations. This research aimed to explore the feasibility of a PSP within an Australian university, as there is a need to explore practical considerations involved in implementation.

Sowing social inclusion for marginalised residents of a social housing development through a community garden.

Issue Addressed: In addition to food, physical activity, mental health and environmental benefits, community gardens (CGs) provide opportunities for social inclusion and increased social capital. These are particularly important to the socially isolated residents of social housing developments (SHDs). This scoping study explored the feasibility of a CG program for tenants of SHD in inner eastern Melbourne by assessing their interest in, and requirements for, inclusively designed CGs.

Accessing Green Spaces Within a Healthcare Setting: A Mixed Studies Review of Barriers and Facilitators.

This review describes the facilitators and barriers impacting on passive access to green spaces within healthcare settings. A systematic mixed-studies review was undertaken to review the quantitative and qualitative evidence on access to green spaces within healthcare settings, as well as to review the methodological quality of the studies eligible for inclusion. A total of 24 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review.

New frontiers in community initiatives to increase vegetable consumption.

Issue Addressed: Public health concerns about insufficient consumption of vegetables across all demographics in Australia have led to 20 years of behaviour change interventions ranging from social marketing to interactive small group programs, with modest results. To maximise health promotion intervention outcomes, practitioners need up-to-date information that helps them navigate the complexity of food systems and eating behaviours.

Methods: This scoping review of Australian and international research, including peer-reviewed and grey literature, provides a picture of health promotion nutrition interventions, as well as other initiatives that may promote increased vegetable consumption.

Feel blue, touch green: examples of green spaces promoting mental health.

The design of hospital environments with an increased focus on incorporating nature and natural features has been reported to have multiple health and well-being benefits. This paper reports on three Australian case studies that each investigated the relationship between green spaces and people's mental health. The results suggest that gardens or other green spaces should be included within plans for future healthcare design.

Perceived Health Benefits and Willingness to Pay for Parks by Park Users: Quantitative and Qualitative Research.

Whilst a growing body of evidence demonstrates people derive a range of health and wellbeing benefits from visiting parks, only a limited number of attempts have been made to provide a complementary economic assessment of parks. The aim of this exploratory study was to directly estimate the perceived health and wellbeing benefits attained from parks and the economic value assigned to parks by park users in Victoria, Australia. The research employed a mixed methods approach (survey and interviews) to collect primary data from a selection of 140 park users: 100 from two metropolitan parks in Melbourne and 40 from a park on the urban fringe of Melbourne, Victoria.

Exploring Ecosystems and Health by Shifting to a Regional Focus: Perspectives from the Oceania EcoHealth Chapter.

This article highlights contributions that can be made to the public health field by incorporating "ecosystem approaches to health" to tackle future environmental and health challenges at a regional level. This qualitative research reviews attitudes and understandings of the relationship between public health and the environment and the priorities, aspirations and challenges of a newly established group (the Oceania EcoHealth Chapter) who are attempting to promote these principles. Ten semi-structured interviews with Oceania EcoHealth Chapter members highlighted the important role such groups can play in informing organisations working in the Oceania region to improve both public health and environmental outcomes simultaneously.

Developing an exploratory framework linking Australian Aboriginal peoples' connection to country and concepts of wellbeing.

Aboriginal people across Australia suffer significant health inequalities compared with the non-Indigenous population. Evidence indicates that inroads can be made to reduce these inequalities by better understanding social and cultural determinants of health, applying holistic notions of health and developing less rigid definitions of wellbeing. The following article draws on qualitative research on Victorian Aboriginal peoples' relationship to their traditional land (known as Country) and its link to wellbeing, in an attempt to tackle this.

Rediscovering nature in everyday settings: or how to create healthy environments and healthy people.

It is estimated that half of the world's population now live in urban environments. Urban living necessitates a removal from nature, yet evidence indicates that contact with nature is beneficial for human health. In fact, everyday urban places, such as where people live, study, and work, provide opportunities to bring nature back into cities to contribute to positive, healthy environments for people and to foster the human-nature connection.