Jay E. Maddock1, Jin Ye Yeo2
1Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M University, TX, USA; 2JPHE Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company
Correspondence to: Jin Ye Yeo. JPHE Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: jphe@amegroups.com
This interview can be cited as: Maddock JE, Yeo JY. Meeting the Editorial Board Member of JPHE: Dr. Jay E. Maddock. J Public Health Emerg. 2024. https://jphe.amegroups.org/post/view/meeting-the-editorial-board-member-of-jphe-dr-jay-e-maddock.
Expert Introduction
Dr. Jay E. Maddock (Figure 1) is a Regents Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Director of the Center for Health and Nature. Previously he served as Dean of the School of Public Health and Chief Wellness Officer at Texas A&M University and as Director and Chair of the University of Hawaii Public Health Program. His research has been featured in several national and international media outlets including The Today Show, CNN, Le Monde, the BBC, Eating Well, Prevention and Good Housekeeping and he has authored over 160 scientific articles and has served as principal investigator on over $20 million in extramural funding. He has received numerous awards throughout his career from the American Public Health Association, the Surgeon General, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services and many others. He is internationally recognized for his research in health behavior and social ecological approaches to increasing physical activity and increasing time spent in nature. Dr. Maddock received his undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology, magna cum laude, from Syracuse University and his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in experimental psychology from the University of Rhode Island.
Figure 1 Dr. Jay E. Maddock
Interview
JPHE: What drove you into the field of environmental and occupational health?
Dr. Maddock: I actually took a circuitous route. My PhD is in experimental psychology and while I was at the University of Hawaii, I was in the Social and Behavioral Sciences specialization within public health. Over the years, I was frustrated by the progress we made by only looking at psychological drives and motivations, and much of my research moved to understanding the effect of the built environment on health behaviors. Over the last five years, I have become highly interested in the effect of spending time in nature on human health. My work is unusual in the sense that instead of focusing on the negative aspects of the environment such as air and water pollution on health, I examine nature as the cure for many of our modern aliments.
JPHE: Could you provide a brief overview of the current publication landscape in nature and health? Are there any alarming or promising trends that we should know about?
Dr. Maddock: While we have known for centuries that spending time in nature is good for our health, the research timespan is much shorter. Since the COVID-19 pandemic reopened our eyes to the importance of spending time in parks and other greenspaces, there has been an explosion of interest in this research area. One controversial area is accessing nature through virtual reality. Studies show that this does have some of the beneficial effects of spending time in actual natural environments but others are worried that this might affect the need to protect natural environments. In a way, it looks like some of the dystopian novels and movies about the future where the environment has been destroyed and only virtual nature exists.
JPHE: What aspects of nature and health do you believe have been overlooked or received insufficient attention?
Dr. Maddock: I am becoming increasingly concerned about the rise in eco-anxiety especially among our younger generations. In the last couple of years, we have seen extreme weather events become almost commonplace. As a global problem, it can really seem impossible to solve. I think the nature and health research area can look into how spending time on habitat restoration, recycling, and other environmental efforts can help people find a sense of control and meaning and possibly mitigate some of the feelings of eco-anxiety while also improving an individual’s health.
JPHE: You have recently highlighted increasing physical activity in natural settings as an opportunity for lifestyle medicine (1). What do you think of the associations between physical activity, nature exposure, and human health? What are some reasons preventing people from engaging in physical activity despite widespread knowledge of the benefits?
Dr. Maddock: One of the amazing things about being physically active in natural spaces is that you get both the benefits of physical activity and spending time in nature concurrently. Currently, we are asking people to do more and more things to stay healthy. These include eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, being physically active, and even flossing their teeth. Each of these takes time and we all only have 24 hours in a day. Time is the number one reason that people give for not being physically active. By exercising in nature, we are able to get the maximum amount of benefits with less time.
JPHE: Apart from having health professionals “prescribe” nature contact to patients (1), what are some strategies that relevant stakeholders can explore to increase physical activity in natural settings for non-patients from a public health perspective?
Dr. Maddock: There are a lot of ways to help get people into nature. The first is advocating for more local green space in the community. Local parks and walking trails are the easiest places for people to get into green space. Other ways include taking things that are normally indoors, outdoors. For example, a walking or nature meeting instead of sitting inside an office. Outdoor classrooms have a variety of benefits for children and children learn as much if not more than children in a traditional classroom setting. Finally, offering introductory sessions like how to camp or hike can help bring people into new spaces they have not been to before.
JPHE: Could you share what are some ongoing projects you are involved in? What knowledge gaps do you hope to fill through these projects?
Dr. Maddock: I am involved in a project with the United States military called Military Families Outdoors. This project offers active-duty military members and their families a chance to connect with nature. The stress of being deployed and other aspects of military life can take a toll on families. We hope this project can reduce stress and increase social connections.
JPHE: How has your experience been as an Editorial Board Member of JPHE?
Dr. Maddock: It has been great. We just had our first article (2) published in the June 2024 issue and it was very professional throughout the process. We got insightful peer reviews, the article was handled well by the editors and once the article was accepted it was published fast. I have not been on the board for a long time, but I am looking to help keep up with the high standards of this journal.
JPHE: As an Editorial Board Member, what are your expectations for JPHE?
Dr. Maddock: My expectation is for this journal to grow into one that is respected around the world. I am delighted that it publishes in an open-access format so that the research is available to everyone.
References
- Maddock JE, Frumkin H. Physical Activity in Natural Settings: An Opportunity for Lifestyle Medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/15598276241253211
- Migl W, Mathis H, Spencer M, Hernandez R, Maddock JE. A scoping review of nature prescriptions offered by healthcare providers. J Public Health Emerg 2024;8:17.