Health by the Sea

Geiger and colleagues report that they analyzed “data from the Seas, Oceans, and Public Health In Europe (SOPHIE) and Australia (SOPHIA) surveys to. . . . find broad cross-country generalizability that living nearer to the coast and visiting it more often are associated with better self-reported general health. These results suggest that coastal access may be a viable and generalized route to promote public health across Europe and Australia. However, the relationships are not strongest among individuals with low household incomes, thereby challenging. . .  [the idea] that access to coastal environments can buffer income-related health inequalities.”

Sandra Geiger, Mathew White, Sophie Davison, Lei Zhang, Oonagh McMeel, Paula Kellett, and Lora Fleming. 2023. “Coastal Proximity and Visits Are Associated With Better Health But May Not Buffer Health Inequalities.”  Communications Earth and Environment, vol. 4, 166, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00818-1