title: Healthy workplaces: the effects of nature contact at work on employee stress and health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cultivating healthy workplaces is a critical aspect of comprehensive worksite health promotion. The influence of healthy workplace exposures on employee health outcomes warrants research attention. To date, it is unknown if nature contact in the workplace is related to employee stress and health. This study was designed to examine the effects of nature contact experienced at work on employee stress and health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Office staff at a southeastern university (n = 503, 30% response rate) participated in the cross-sectional study. We used a 16-item workplace environment questionnaire, the Nature Contact Questionnaire, to comprehensively measure, for the first time, nature contact at work. The Perceived Stress Questionnaire and 13 established health and behavioral items assessed the dependent variables, general perceived stress, stress-related health behaviors, and stress-related health outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant, negative association between nature contact and stress and nature contact and general health complaints. The results indicate that as workday nature contact increased, perceived stress and generalized health complaints decreased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that nature contact is a healthy workplace exposure. Increasing nature contact at work may offer a simple population-based approach to enhance workplace health promotion efforts. Future researchers should test the efficacy of nature-contact workplace stress interventions.
authors.affiliation: University of North Florida, Brooks College of Health, Department of Public Health, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA. largo.wight@unf.edu
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Largo-Wight
authors.forename: W William
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dodd
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weiler
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004779:Environment Design / Q000592:standards*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019368:Nature; D016272:Occupational Health; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017132:Workplace / Q000592:standards*