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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1508539

Chronic Impacts of Natural Infrastructure on the Physical and Psychological Health of University Students During and After COVID-19: A case study of Chengdu, China

Provisionally accepted
Yi Peng Yi Peng 1Haoxing He Haoxing He 1Bingyang Lv Bingyang Lv 1Jiali Wang Jiali Wang 2Qin Qiao Qin Qiao 3Jialu Song Jialu Song 1Yuzhou Liu Yuzhou Liu 1Wenjun Su Wenjun Su 4Song Hui-xing Song Hui-xing 1Qibin Chen Qibin Chen 1*
  • 1 College of Landscape Architecture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Human Health of Sichuan Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 China Construction Third Bureau First Construction Engineering Co., Wuhan, China
  • 4 Sichuan Forestry Central Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the health benefits of green spaces, yet research on how specific elements of natural infrastructure affect well-being during the pandemic has been limited. This study, conducted at Sichuan Agricultural University with 300 students in 2022, investigated how urban natural infrastructure impacts physical and psychological well-being during the pandemic. Different aspects of natural infrastructure, such as thermal comfort, air quality (negative ion concentration), and noise and light levels, varied in their positive effects on students' health. The findings revealed that 65.6% of university students felt reduced stress when engaging with outdoor spaces, and 72.8% of them renewed recognized the therapeutic value of nature. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating natural elements into urban planning to enhance outdoor activity and well-being, especially in post-pandemic settings. Recommendations are provided for future urban design to address the therapeutic needs of specific populations.

    Keywords: Natural Infrastructure1, COVID-19 pandemic2, physical3, Psychological4, Therapeutic5, Well-being6

    Received: 11 Oct 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Peng, He, Lv, Wang, Qiao, Song, Liu, Su, Hui-xing and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Qibin Chen, College of Landscape Architecture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.