Jackson Free Press

Many Mississippians may go outside quite often, but as a country, easy access to nature doesn't mean that we're actually experiencing the great outdoors as much as we should. And it's vital to get out there.

"Let Them Be Eaten by Bears" by Peter Brown Hoffmeister (Penguin Group, 2013, $16) makes the case that parents should take their kids into the great outdoors more often. The book, recovered from the library kiosk in front of the Eudora Welty house in Belhaven, cites statistics from the National Academies of Sciences finding that the usage of America's parks and forests has gone down 25 percent since 1987.

Around 2013, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids ages 8 to 18 are on electronic media for an average of six and a half hours a day. As of 2009, 8.6 percent of U.S. children ages 3 to 17 were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and obesity rates have risen all over the country. 2011 statistics from stateofobesity.org show that 21.7 percent of children ages 10 to 17 were obese in Mississippi.

"Let Them Be Eaten by Bears" makes a correlation between negative health statistics and the decline of children playing outside.

But Hoffmeister, who, in the book, says he goes outside more than 99 percent of people, wants to change that. He cites a study the American Institutes for Research published in 2005 that found that exposure to nature benefited kids, both academically and physically. In the study, students who attended a week-long residential outdoor program in Palo Alto, Calif., had a 27 percent increase in the mastery of science concepts, enhanced cooperation and conflict-resolution skills, self-esteem gains, and an increased motivation to learn, among other improvements.

A study from the American Journal of Public Health that was published in 2004 found that exposure to nature lessened symptoms of ADHD in children. Hoffmeister argues that children have an inherent love for nature.

"Watch a preschool-aged girl stomp in a big fat rain puddle. Notice her joy, her sheer, unmistakable joy as the water sloshes over the tops of her boots, as the rain and mud fleck her clothes," he says in the book.

But how does going outside help adults? The book is mainly about parents taking their kids outside and the benefits of doing that, but research and studies have shown that going outside has benefits for adults. Research from the University of Essex in 2012 shows that the color green, which is in much of nature, make exercise feel easier. In the study, participants performed three moderate-intensity five-minute cycling tasks while watching footage from a rural cycling course. Each video had a different filter: unedited, i.e., green; achromatic, or gray; and red. The unedited video caused a lower level of mood disturbance and perceived exertion than the other ones.

A study from Stanford University in 2014 found that while walking increases creativity, walking outside can influence novelty. Going outside also increases a person's vitamin D intake and can also lower stress levels through aspects such as scents. The smell of flowers such as jasmine and roses can decrease stress levels, and the scent of fresh pine (which is common in Mississippi) can lower depression and anxiety.

Much of the time, being in nature is free or costs very little. The state has many ways to experience nature. Much of the state is still rural, which means if you want to adventure out into the woods, you don't have to go far. Start with setting out on the Natchez Trace and stopping at the trails. Enjoy the many campgrounds around the state or kayak and canoe down the state's rivers. In the metro area, you can go on walking trails, hike through woods near your house or apartment, or pay a little money and go places such as the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science or the Jackson Zoo or the Mississippi Petrified Forest. Try the Ridgeland Natchez Trace Multi-Use Trail, Parham Bridges walking trail and the Flowood Nature Park. So this summer, soak up nature and improve your health.