International study links blue space exposure in childhood to improved well-being in adulthoodPrior research indicates that contact with nature during childhood is associated with higher subjective well-being and a reduced risk of poor mental health throughout both childhood and adulthood. However, relatively few studies have examined whether childhood time spent in blue spaces (rivers, lakes and coastal environments) is linked to improved subjective well-being during adulthood. This study investigated the relationship between recalled childhood blue space exposure and adult well-being using data from a large multi-country survey. The specific aims of the study were: 1) to examine if childhood exposure to blue space is linked to improved subjective well-being as an adult; and if so; 2) to explore how this relationship may be influenced by adults’ increased intrinsic motivation to visit natural spaces and more frequent recent visits to blue and green spaces during adulthood; and 3) to investigate if the relationship between childhood blue space exposure and adult subjective well-being were consistent across different countries and regions.
The study utilized a dataset from the BlueHealth International Survey, which investigated recreational use of natural blue space environments and health and well-being outcomes. The survey data used in this study were collected from 15,743 adults in 18 different countries. Included were 14 European countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) and four non-European countries or regions (Hong Kong, Canada, Australia—primarily Queensland, and California, US). The countries were mainly selected based on their partnership with the BlueHealth project. However, country selection also aimed to ensure the inclusion of major coastlines; alternatively, the Czech Republic was included as a landlocked comparator. The study was primarily focused on the components of the surveys that assessed: (1) subjective well-being (during the prior two weeks) using the World Health Organization well-being index (WHO-5); and (2) recalled childhood exposure to blue spaces when the respondents were between the ages of 0–16 years. Additionally, the surveys assessed two potential mediators to determine whether they influenced the relationship between childhood blue space exposure and adult subjective well-being. The investigated mediators were (1) adult intrinsic motivation to visit natural environments and (2) frequency of visits to blue and green spaces during the prior four weeks. The surveys also collected respondents’ demographic information. Statistical analysis examined the relationships between main outcomes and controlled for a number of socio-demographic indicators, including gender, age, level of educational achievement, employment status, disposable household income, and season in which the survey was completed, among others. Finally, analysis accounted for residential nature exposure with data derived from the Global Land Cover dataset to determine the percentage of green space and inland blue spaces within 1000-meter buffers around respondents’ homes, as well as their distance from the nearest coastline. Analyses were conducted for the entire sample and by country/region.
Greater exposure to blue spaces during childhood was significantly related to better subjective well-being in adulthood. This relationship remained significant after adjustment for socio-demographic indicators and was consistent across each of the 18 countries/regions. These findings suggest that “childhood blue space exposure is a robust and independent predictor of adult well-being.” Significant, direct relationships were also detected between the other outcomes assessed by the study. Respondents with higher childhood blue space exposure reported significantly higher intrinsic motivation to visit natural environments and significantly more recent blue and green space visits. Those with higher intrinsic motivation to visit natural environments reported significantly more frequent recent blue and green visits and significantly better subjective well-being. Those who had higher frequencies of recent blue visits and green visits reported significantly better subjective well-being. Analysis further revealed that higher intrinsic motivation to visit natural spaces in adulthood and more frequent recent visits to blue and green spaces served as underlying mechanisms within the relationship between childhood blue space and adult subjective well-being. The influence of intrinsic motivation was consistent across all 18 countries/regions. However, findings regarding the influence of recent blue and green visits in the relationship between childhood blue space exposure and adult subjective well-being were not as strong and varied somewhat by country/region.
The study demonstrates that childhood exposure to blue spaces is linked to improved subjective well-being in adulthood, and that this relationship is influenced by intrinsic motivation to visit natural spaces as an adult and by recent recreational visits to blue and green spaces. “Findings highlight the potentially long-term impact of childhood blue space experiences in promoting well-being, as well as the potential protective value of this factor on adult mental health issues, internationally.” The study also demonstrates that childhood experiences with blue spaces are linked to higher intrinsic motivation to visit natural environments during adulthood. Findings call attention to the importance of protecting blue spaces and promoting childhood exposure to blue environments.
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