Living Near Sea are Healthier?

The body uses ultraviolet rays from the sun to manufacture vitamin D in the inner layers of the skin. With too little sun exposure, a person can become vitamin-D deficient, which has been linked with various diseases, including cancer. (Picture from: http://www.livescience.com/)

A study in England states living near the coast is likely to bring benefits to health. The study analyzed information from approximately 48 million population of England, and found that the closer to the coast where they live, the greater the likelihood the person has a good health report on the previous year.

Researchers said one reason those 
living in coastal communities may 
attain better physical health could be 
due to the stress relief offered by 
spending time near the sea. 
(Picture from: http://www.standard.co.uk/)

The study's results remain the same even if the researchers include other health determinants, such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, and whether they live near parks or other green space. Differences in conditions between the people who live near the beach and the people who live in urban areas was relatively small. Only about 1 percent more people living within a radius of about 1 kilometer from the coast that have reported good health than living 48 kilometers from the sea.

"But such a small effect, when applied to the entire population, could create a substantial impact on public health," said study researcher Ben Wheeler of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Exeter, England.

Live near the coast may be associated with better health conditions for the seafront environment can reduce stress, say scientists. They showed another study found that British people who travel to experience relaxation and tranquility of the beach which is higher than those who visited the city park or the countryside.

Nevertheless, it is too early to recommend people go to the beach to improve health. Wheeler said the study only found an association, not causality, and there are likely other factors have a major influence on the outcome.

Because this study only focused on the UK population, the island nation of all citizens living within a radius of 115 kilometers of coast, it is unclear whether these findings also apply to other populations. *** [LIVESCIENCE | KORAN TEMPO 3945]

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