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Cet article examine treize revues de synthèse de la recherche scientifique et des publications officielles qui traitent des effets positifs de l’exposition à un environnement naturel sur les dimensions psychique, physique et sociale de la santé humaine et du bien-être. Ces contributions émanent de plusieurs disciplines tandis que les contributions interdisciplinaires sont rares. Notre analyse suggère des preuves empiriques modérées à fortes pour les impacts positifs des espaces verts et bleus sur la santé mentale et physique, et faibles en ce qui concerne la cohésion sociale. En outre, elle révèle que la comparaison entre les différentes études s’avère délicate et qu’il est difficile de dégager des conclusions claires au sujet des bienfaits des espaces verts et bleus sur la santé. De fait, des recommandations de recherche sont esquissées dans l’optique de contribuer à combler le manque de connaissances.

Relationships between health and Green and Blue spaces : a synthesis of empirical research, 2003-2014This paper investigates thirteen recent reviews of publications, including scientific and official reports published between 2003 and 2014 that deal with the positive health effects of exposure to a natural environment on the physical, psychological and social dimensions of human health and well-being. These contributions originate from several disciplines such as epidemiology, sociology and environmental psychology while interdisciplinary contributions are rare. This literature review shows moderate to strong empirical evidence for the positive influence of contact with green and blue spaces and mental and physical health and low evidence for influences on social cohesion. It also shows that health impacts may vary according to the population group considered (e.g. children, people with low socio-economic status). Comparison between the different studies is difficult because of a lack of knowledge accumulation through the validation of empirical research findings as well as the variety of health outcomes and methodological design. Furthermore, clear conclusions about the health benefits of Green and Blue spaces are difficult to infer from the meta-analysis. Finally, some recommendations for interdisciplinary research are outlined to overcome the current lack of knowledge.