NIH to invest $1.4M in ‘Anti-Racist Healing in Nature’ research.

The National Institutes of Health Funds Study on Anti-Racist Healing in Nature

The National Institutes of Health is set to spend more than $1.4 million in taxpayer funds to back a study on “anti-racist healing in nature.” The study, currently being performed by San Francisco State University, aims to examine the impact of nature on racial health disparities and stress reduction in BIPOC young adults.

The study, titled “Examining Anti-Racist Healing in Nature to Protect Telomeres of Transitional Age BIPOC for Health Equity,” posits that racism and discrimination contribute to chronic stress and limit access to the social determinants of health, perpetuating health disparities. The research aims to engage ancestral knowledges from different communities of color and ensure equitable access to physical activity in public parks.

The grant description emphasizes that the study utilizes cost-effective, low-resource interventions and focuses on community-prioritized research. It acknowledges that while nature is an ancestral healing place for many communities, it can be unwelcoming, unsafe, or triggering for people of color.

According to SF State News, nature is often inaccessible to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities, despite its potential as a source of solace. To address this, the study, informally known as “From Hood to Woods,” invites individuals between the ages of 18 and 26 from the latine/x/o, Black, Pacific Islander, and/or Filipinx community to participate. Participants will receive compensation of more than $100 and have the opportunity to go on free weekend trips and rides to the Redwoods.

The study encourages participants to consider what anti-racist green spaces look like and how greenspaces make them feel welcomed or unwelcomed. It aims to reclaim nature in the Bay Area through a community-engaged research project.

The grant funding is part of a broader program from the NIH that aims to advance health equity and decrease health disparities among different demographic groups.

For more information about the study, visit San Francisco State University’s website.

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