Outdoor health intervention for refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers: A mixed-methods pilot study

Charlotte Wendelboe-Nelson; Jessica C Fisher; Tanja M Straka; Rita Sousa-Silva; Claudia Menzel; Julius C Alejandre; Sian de Bell; Rachel R Y Oh; Aletta Bonn; Melissa R Marselle

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103387

Outdoor health intervention for refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers: A mixed-methods pilot study

Health Place. 2024 Nov 30:91:103387. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103387. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ OPENspace Research Centre, Edinburgh College of Art, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of Edinburgh, EH3 9DF, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, CT2 7NR, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, P.O.Box 9518, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands; Young Academy for Sustainability Research, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Social, Environmental, and Economic Psychology, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau, 76829 Landau (Pfalz), Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ JCA: Water Research Group, School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Exeter Health Service Delivery Research (HSDR) Evidence Synthesis Centre, University of Exeter, 79 Heavitree Rd, Exeter, EX2 4TH, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Biodiversity and People, 04318 Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁹ German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Department of Biodiversity and People, 04318 Leipzig, Germany; Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Institute of Biodiversity, 07743 Jena, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁰ Environmental Psychology Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK.

PMID: 39616816
DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103387

Abstract

Despite the multifaceted and diverse challenges that refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers experience when entering a new country, they remain notably underrepresented in the evaluation and understanding of the health and wellbeing impacts of outdoor health interventions. We addressed this knowledge gap by a mixed-methods evaluation (questionnaires, focus groups and photo elicitation activity) facilitated by a community researcher. Qualitative data (focus groups and photo elicitation activity) revealed that the participants saw the social component of outdoor activities as a critical factor in improving their wellbeing, an insight not captured by established quantitative wellbeing scales. Given the diverse backgrounds of refugee, migrant, and asylum-seeker populations, we underline the importance of a transdisciplinary, collaborative, and mixed-methods research approach.

Keywords: Mental health; Mixed methods; Place attachment; Social cohesion; Transdisciplinary; Wellbeing.