A childhood with plenty of trips to seaside can improve chances of adult wellbeing

Every parent wants to do the best for their children, including for their health and wellbeing.

According to a recent survey coordinated by the European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH) at the University of Exeter, that means spending more time by the water.

The survey of 15,000 people across 14 countries found that those who spent more time near blue spaces during their childhood had improved mental health during adulthood. Blue spaces include the sea, inland waterways, lakes and rivers.

“In the context of an increasingly technological and industrialised world, it’s important to understand how childhood nature experiences relate to wellbeing in later life.

"Our findings suggest that building familiarity and confidence in and around blue spaces during childhood may stimulate an inherent joy of nature and encourage people to seek out recreational nature experiences, with beneficial consequences for adult mental health,” said Valeria Vitale, a doctoral candidate at Spienza University of Rome and lead author of the study.

Dr Leanne Martin from the University of Exeter also said that the research revealed that, “developing skills such as swimming at an early age can have previously unrecognised life-long benefits.”

The survey’s findings add to the recognised physical health benefits of spending time by the sea, which can support a healthy immune system, help regulate sleep and blood pressure and improve mood, circulation and heart rate.

Those who spend time near blue spaces in Spain, for example, can enjoy the added benefit of a climate that supports increased opportunities for exercising outdoors.

This can further enhance benefits already delivered by spending time by the sea, such as stress reduction and greater relaxation, as well as increasing vitamin D levels. According to the ECEHH, it takes just minutes for some of those positive effects to be felt.

In recent years, stressed-out urbanites have been seeking refuge in green spaces, for which the proven positive impacts on physical and mental health are often cited in arguments for more inner-city parks and accessible woodlands.

The benefits of “blue space” – the sea and coastline, but also rivers, lakes, canals, waterfalls, even fountains – are less well publicised, yet the science has been consistent for at least a decade: being by water is good for body and mind.

Proximity to water – especially the sea – is associated with many positive measures of physical and mental wellbeing, from higher levels of vitamin D to better social relations. “Many of the processes are exactly the same as with green space – with some added benefits,” says Dr Mathew White, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and an environmental psychologist with BlueHealth, a programme researching the health and wellbeing benefits of blue space across 18 (mostly European) countries.

Although living within 1km (0.6 miles) of the coast – and to a lesser extent, within 5km (3.1 miles) – has been associated with better general and mental health, it seems to be the propensity to visit that is key.

“We find people who visit the coast, for example, at least twice weekly tend to experience better general and mental health,” says Dr Lewis Elliott, also of the University of Exeter and BlueHealth.

“Some of our research suggests around two hours a week is probably beneficial, across many sectors of society.”

Even sea views have been associated with better mental health.