title: Nature contact and organizational support during office working hours: Benefits relating to stress reduction, subjective health complaints, and sick leave.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Improving social support, and providing nature contact at work are potential health promoting workplace interventions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to investigate whether nature contact at work is associated with employee's health and participation, and to study whether the possible associations between nature contact and health can be explained by perceived organizational support.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected through a web-based, cross-sectional survey of employees in seven public and private office workplaces in Norway (n = 707, 40% response rate). Multiple linear and logistic regression analysis were performed on 565 participants fulfilling inclusion criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A greater amount of indoor nature contact at work was significantly associated with less job stress (B = -0.18, CI = -0.318 to -0.042), fewer subjective health complaints (B = -0.278, CI = -0.445 to -0.112) and less sickness absence (B = -0.061, CI = -0.009 to -0.002). Perceived organizational support mediated the associations between indoor nature contact and job stress and sickness absence, and partly mediated the association with subjective health complaints. Outdoor nature contact showed no reliable association with the outcomes in this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extending nature contact in the physical work environment in offices, can add to the variety of possible health-promoting workplace interventions, primarily since it influences the social climate on the workplace.
authors.forename: Siv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bjørnstad
authors.forename: Grete G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.forename: Ruth K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Raanaas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019368:Nature; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010944:Plants; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Workplace interventions; indoor plants; occupational health research; window view; worksite health promotion