Indoor nature exposure (INE): a health-promotion framework

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Public Health
• Environmental Design

Background:

• Outdoor nature engagement offers proven physiological and psychological health benefits.
• Urbanization limits access to natural environments, necessitating alternative nature engagement strategies.
• Indoor nature exposure (INE) is an underutilized approach for health promotion in built environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of current evidence on indoor nature exposure (INE).
• To summarize findings on the health-promoting potential of INE.
• To identify methodological considerations for future INE research.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review methodology was employed to synthesize existing literature on INE.
• The review focused on identifying studies examining the effects and facilitators of indoor nature exposure.
• Analysis considered the interaction between nature-based stimuli and individual characteristics.

Main Results:

• Indoor nature exposure (INE) demonstrates potential as a health-promoting tool.
• The effectiveness of INE is influenced by the interplay of nature stimuli and individual factors like gender and age.
• Current literature presents methodological challenges, including exposure realism and limited qualitative data.

Conclusions:

• Indoor nature exposure (INE) can be a valuable strategy for enhancing well-being, particularly in urban settings.
• Further research should address methodological limitations to strengthen the evidence base for INE.
• A framework for understanding INE facilitation can be developed from current findings.