National Environmental Education Foundation’s Children and Nature Initiative: Rx for Outdoor Activity aims to prevent serious health conditions like obesity and diabetes related to indoor sedentary lifestyles and connects children and their families to nature to promote good health, enjoyment, and environmental stewardship. The initiative educates pediatric health care providers about prescribing outdoor activities to children. The program also connects health care providers with local nature sites, so that they can refer families to safe and easily accessible outdoor areas such as parks and nature preserves. NEEF’s nature site partners include: the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Audubon Society and local parks and recreation agencies.
The training webinar features presentations from James Roberts, MD, MPH, Medical University of South Carolina and Leyla Erk McCurdy. Participants will learn about the link between childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyle, be able to articulate the scientific basis for the physical and mental health benefits of nature, and learn how to connect children and families to nature sites for outdoor activity. Participants will also learn to utilize NEEF’s tools and resources to train other pediatric health care providers to prescribe outdoor activity to children and refer them to parks and other nature sites in their community.