title: Health benefits of a view of nature through the window: a quasi-experimental study of patients in a residential rehabilitation center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the health benefits of a bedroom window view to natural surroundings for patients undergoing a residential rehabilitation programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal quasi-experiment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A residential rehabilitation centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-hundred and seventy-eight coronary and pulmonary patients provided data at all measurement points during the programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blind, quasi-random allocation to a private bedroom with a panoramic view to natural surroundings or with a view either partially or entirely blocked by buildings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported physical and mental health (SF-12), subjective well-being, emotional states, use of the private bedroom and leisure activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For women, a blocked view appeared to negatively influence change in physical health (time × view × gender interaction, F(4,504) = 2.51, P = 0.04), whereas for men, a blocked view appeared to negatively influence change in mental health (time × view × gender interaction, F(4,504) = 5.67, P < 0.01). Pulmonary patients with a panoramic view showed greater improvement in mental health than coronary patients with such a view (time × view × diagnostic group interaction, F(4,504) = 2.76, P = 0.03). Those with a panoramic view to nature more often chose to stay in their bedroom when they wanted to be alone than those with a blocked view (odds ratio (OR) = 2.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-5.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An unobstructed bedroom view to natural surroundings appears to have better supported improvement in self-reported physical and mental health during a residential rehabilitation programme, although the degree of change varied with gender and diagnostic group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway. ruth.raanaas@umb.no
authors.forename: Ruth Kjærsti
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Raanaas
authors.forename: Grete Grindal
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hartig
mesh_terms: D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000523:psychology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019368:Nature; D009664:Norway; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012737:Sex Factors