Leisure Index Dominated by Environmental Health

Leisure is a cognitive and aesthetic process that is spontaneous, voluntary, and free.

The objects of cognition and aesthetics constitute the external environment of leisure.

The so-called "external environment of leisure" includes: the outdoor natural environment, the living environment, and the humanistic and social environment.

The outdoor environment - in addition to the natural geographical and ecological landscapes, it can also include artificially designed garden landscapes.

The living environment - includes artificial architectural design and decoration design, which can serve as the hardware of the humanistic and social environment.

The humanistic and social environment - mainly includes social systems, the atmosphere of culture and art, and interpersonal relationships. Whether it is the outdoor environment, the indoor environment, or the humanistic and social environment, they all have a direct impact on human physical and mental health - this is the so-called concept of "environmental health".

Environmental health refers to the direct impact and continuous supporting ability of the comprehensive state of the natural ecological environment and the humanistic and social environment on human physical and mental health. Its core lies in the normal functioning of the environmental system, the individual's adaptability to the environment, and the coordinated development of the common well-being of humanity.

Ⅰ The Influence of the Natural Environment and the Humanistic Environment on Physical and Mental Health

(1) The Supporting Role of the Natural Ecological Environment

Physical Health: It depends on natural resources such as clean air, pure water sources, and soil, as well as the ecological balance maintained by rich biodiversity, reducing the risk of pollution-related diseases (such as respiratory diseases, waterborne infectious diseases, and land surface source pollution).

Mental Health: Beautiful and harmonious natural landscapes and ecological environments (such as green spaces, forests, mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, etc.) provide people with a space for psychological restoration and nourishment, bringing spiritual pleasure and relaxation, relieving stress, reducing anxiety, improving mood, and promoting mental health.

In 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released the report "Forests for Human Health and Well-being", which pointed out that reduced exposure to nature or insufficient biodiversity can lead to insufficient stimulation of the human immune regulation circuit, thus increasing the occurrence of chronic inflammation. People living in environments closer to nature and with higher biodiversity are exposed to a richer microbiota and have stronger immune responses and adaptability.

American writer Richard Louv proposed that humans are innately eager for nature and curious about the natural world. Modern urban residents lack the time and opportunities to engage in activities in natural environments such as the countryside and farmland, which can lead to psychological loneliness and boredom, resulting in "nature deficit disorder".

(2) The Guarantee Function of the Humanistic and Social Environment

Physical Health: Ensure the normal operation of physical functions through safe infrastructure (such as medical care and housing) and fair resource allocation (such as health services, nutrition supply, and sports venues). A good social medical security system, educational resources, and health conditions also provide strong guarantees for human physical health, enabling timely prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, and improving the quality of life and health level of humans.

Mental Health: The harmony of social relations, cultural inclusiveness, and economic stability maintain psychological balance by reducing social exclusion and enhancing a sense of belonging. With good social order, sound laws and regulations, a safe and harmonious community, harmonious interpersonal relationships, a positive cultural and entertainment atmosphere, and a comfortable and meaningful work and living environment. In such a humanistic and social environment, people can obtain sufficient social support, feel respected, understood, and tolerated, which helps to reduce psychological conflicts and pressures, prevent the occurrence of mental diseases such as depression and schizophrenia, and maintain mental health.

（3）The "Breathe-Deeply Environmental Health Index" serves as a quantitative standard for environmental health

Environmental health is a dynamic balance system in which the natural and humanistic environments achieve the normalization of human physiological functions and the stabilization of psychological states through material supply, safety guarantees, cultural support, and other means. The quality level of environmental health depends on the coordinated development of ecological sustainability, social equity, and individual adaptability.

The "high-quality natural and humanistic environments" that delight the body and mind, as the basic conditions for leisure, represent a relatively high level of environmental health.

For different levels of environmental health, we propose the quantitative standard of the " Breathe-Deeply Environmental Health Index" - which integrates four major dimensions, namely the ecological environment index, the environmental art index, the interpersonal relationship index, and the service efficiency index.

It is specifically summarized as the following formula:

Breathe-Deeply Environmental Health Index = Ecological Environment Index + Environmental Art Index + Interpersonal Relationship Index + Service Efficiency Index

At the same time, the formula for the "Leisure Index" is obtained:

Leisure Index = Breathe-Deeply Environmental Health Index * Proportion of Annual Disposable Time (Number of Holiday Days)

Such a "Leisure Index" undoubtedly represents the true meaning of the human "Happiness Index".

True happiness means having luxurious (the best) leisure: having ample time to enjoy a rich variety of cognitive, aesthetic, and health-care services in various high-quality healthy environments, thus strengthening the adaptability to any environment.

Ⅱ Four Major Indices Affecting Environmental Health and Leisure

◆Ecological index

The "Ecological Environment Index" (EI) is an evaluation system that comprehensively reflects the quality status of the ecological environment in a specific region, involving multiple quantified ecological element indicators as follows:

*Climate and Meteorology: Climate stability - the frequency of extreme weather (such as the number of days of drought/flooding), the fluctuation range of the annual average temperature; Precipitation suitability - the degree of matching between the precipitation and the water demand of vegetation.

*Geology and Geomorphology: Geological safety - factors of land stress such as earthquake risk levels, the density of hidden danger points of landslides/debris flows, soil erosion, land desertification, land development; Geomorphological diversity - landscape heterogeneity indicators such as the terrain undulation degree, the change rate of the altitude gradient.

*Biological Abundance: Evaluate biodiversity through the proportion of the areas of forests, water bodies, grasslands, etc.

*Vegetation Coverage: Include the spatial distribution of vegetation types such as forest land, grassland, and farmland.

*Water Network Density: Cover water body parameters such as the length of rivers, the area of lakes and reservoirs, and the amount of water resources.

*Land Quality: Evaluate the health status of land through indicators such as the degree of erosion and the area of degradation.

*Pollution Load: Include pollution indicators such as SO₂ emissions, solid waste, and COD (organic pollutants).

——The core formula of the Ecological Environment Index (EI) is:

EI = 0.30×Biological Abundance + 0.20×Vegetation Coverage + 0.15×Water Network Density + 0.15×(100−Land Stress) + 0.10×(100−Pollution Load) + 0.05×Climate Stability + 0.05×Geological Safety

◆Environmental art index

The "Environmental Art Index" (EAI for short) is a comprehensive evaluation system for measuring the spatial aesthetic value and cultural expressiveness of a specific region. It involves factors such as the urban and rural appearance, public activity spaces, architectural and landscape garden design, folk customs and regional culture, and the number of cultural venues. By quantifying the interaction quality between the built environment and humanistic elements, it assesses the level of spatial artistry.

Its benchmark formula can be expressed as:

EAI = 0.25A + 0.20B + 0.20C + 0.15D + 0.10E + 0.10F

Where:

A: Coordination degree of urban and rural landscapes (unity of architectural styles/rhythm of the skyline)

B: Penetration rate of art in public spaces (density of sculptures/murals/installation art)

C: Innovation index of landscape design (creativity in landscaping/application of new materials)

D: Intensity of cultural inheritance (activation projects of intangible cultural heritage/preservation rate of traditional buildings)

E: Density of art facilities (number of art galleries/theaters/cultural stations per 10,000 people)

F: Citizen participation rate (average annual number of participants in public art activities)

◇Three-level evaluation dimensions

*Material carrier layer

· The rate of artistic renovation of building facades ≥ 15%

· The aesthetic compliance rate of street furniture (rest facilities/wayfinding system)

· The degree of authenticity maintenance of historical blocks

*Cultural expression layer

· The frequency of annual folk festival activities

· The conversion rate of regional symbols (such as the modern translation of traditional patterns)

· The renewal cycle of public art (≤ 3 years)

*Perceptual experience layer

· The coherence of spatial narrative (cultural circulation design)

· The conversion efficiency of day and night landscapes

· The density of barrier-free art contact points

◆Human relations index

The "Interpersonal Relationship Index" (IRI) is a comprehensive evaluation system for measuring the quality of interpersonal interaction and the strength of social connections within a specific region. By quantifying elements such as social capital, institutional environment, and spatial characteristics, it aims to reflect the health of group relationships. The benchmark formula is:

IRI = 0.20S + 0.18E + 0.15T + 0.12U + 0.12G + 0.10D + 0.08R + 0.05F

Where:

S: Inclusiveness of social institutions (Participation rate in democratic elections × Index of freedom of association × Index of freedom of speech)

E: Balance of economic development (Corrected Gini coefficient + Reciprocal of the urban-rural income ratio)

T: Suitability of informatization (Activity level of social media / Digital divide index)

U: Degree of urban-rural integration (Equalization index of public services × Coverage rate of half-hour commuting circles)

G: Effect of group density (Population density × Reciprocal of per capita area of public space)

D: Index of religious and cultural integration (Participation rate in cross-faith activities + Acceptance of heterogeneous cultures)

R: Institutional trust (Perceived fairness of the judiciary + Satisfaction with government services)

F: Frequency of intergenerational interaction (Frequency of family dinners + Number of community care projects for the elderly)

Analysis of key dimensions

*Institutional environment layer

· For every 10% increase in the participation rate in democratic elections, community mutual assistance behaviors increase by 7.2%.

· The index of freedom of speech is measured by the "safety degree of expressing dissent" and has a U-shaped relationship with neighborhood trust.

*Spatial interaction layer

· Urban-rural pattern parameter = 0.6 × Sharing rate of infrastructure + 0.4 × Two-way population flow rate

· When the population density exceeds 5000 people/km², the incidence of conflicts is negatively correlated with the area of public green space.

*Technical regulation layer

· Threshold effect of informatization level: When the digital contact index > 75, for every additional unit of offline interaction, an additional 0.3 physical social nodes are required.

· When the proportion of virtual social interaction exceeds 40%, the efficiency of establishing deep relationships will decrease by 22%.

◆Service efficacy index

The "Service Efficiency Index" (SEI) is a quantitative indicator for measuring the comprehensive efficiency of a regional service system, reflecting the collaborative efficiency of infrastructure, resource allocation, and emergency support.

The benchmark formula is:

SEI = 0.30T + 0.25H + 0.20M + 0.15E + 0.10C

where:

T: Traffic Efficiency (Road network density × Public transportation coverage rate × Hub connection efficiency)

H: Reception Capacity (Proportion of hotels above four-star level × Popularization rate of intelligent management systems)

M: Medical Efficiency (Number of hospital beds per thousand people × Passing rate of emergency rescue radius)

E: Emergency Response (Perfection degree of emergency plans × Arrival rate within 30 minutes)

C: Collaboration Coefficient (Inter-departmental data interoperability rate)

◇ Index Decomposition System

*Traffic Convenience

· Road network density ≥ 5km/km² (Excellent)

· Coverage rate within 500 meters of rail transit stations ≥ 75%

· Multimodal transportation transfer time ≤ 15 minutes

*Hotel Service Level

· Management certification rate (ISO9001/Star rating) ≥ 60%

· Ratio of peak reception capacity to permanent population ≥ 1:20

· Complaint response time limit ≤ 2 hours

*Medical Emergency Matrix

· Reachability rate of top three-level hospitals within 15 minutes ≥ 90%

· Configuration rate of negative pressure ambulances ≥ 1 vehicle per 100,000 people

· Opening rate of emergency green channels 100%

*Emergency Management Dimension

· Digitalization rate of emergency plans ≥ 85%

· Emergency material reserves meet the demand for 7 days

· Frequency of multi-hazard simulation drills ≥ 2 times per year

◇ Dynamic Revision Mechanism

*Major Event Coefficient: During major sports events, the weight of item H is increased to 0.30.

*Disaster Early Warning Status: When an orange early warning is issued, the data of item E is replaced by real-time response data instead of the annual average value.

*This index needs to be updated in real time by combining Internet of Things (IoT) devices (real-time traffic flow monitoring, heat maps of hotel occupancy rates) with government affairs data platforms.

Ⅲ Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Promotion Action

In 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Health Organization launched the global initiative "Breathe Life".

The Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Promotion Association (Japan) regards " Breathe-Deeply " as a symbol of "high - quality ecological environment" and "healthy lifestyle". By integrating the principles of physiology and ecology with emerging science and technology, it has put forward the concept of "Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Industry".

List of the Breathe-Deeply Environmental Health Industry

(Prepared by: Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Promotion Association)

Based on the influence of the "external environment" on the "internal environment", the " Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Industry" represents corresponding technical measures, aiming to improve the function of cellular respiration (internal respiration) by improving the external and internal environments. Especially in combination with medical geography, the Deep - Breathing Environment Health Industry studies and promotes the role of high - quality ecological environment (such as suitable climate, clean air, clean water, organic agricultural products, etc.) and healthy lifestyle (such as cultural entertainment, healthy diet, etc.) in promoting physical and mental health.

The Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Promotion Action takes practical actions and effective measures to promote the development of the "Deep - Breathing Environment Health Industry" and improve the environmental health index.

At the same time, the Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Promotion Action will also carry out civic education on environmental health. Through various means, it will popularize the concepts, knowledge, behaviors and skills of environmental health, promote healthy and sustainable lifestyles, and achieve the participation of the whole people in ecological environment protection.

The Breathe-Deeply Environment Health Promotion Action covers industry, agriculture and service industry. Here, from the perspective of medical geography of environmental health, we focus on the promoting values of leisure services such as forest therapy, hot - spring vacation, ice - snow sports, physical fitness, outdoor camping, nature education, traditional medicine and health preservation, and cultural entertainment on cognition, aesthetics and health.