$1.4M NIH-funded study investigates ‘anti-racist healing in nature’
The grant description labels the project as 'community-prioritized research,' aiming to harness 'ancestral knowledges from different communities of color' to curb burgeoning health disparities via various sector collaborators. One key strategy involves ensuring 'equitable access to physical activity in public parks.'
An ambitious project dubbed “Examining Anti-Racist Healing in Nature to Protect Telomeres of Transitional Age BIPOC for Health Equity” is being backed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with over $1.4 million in taxpayer funding. The study, undertaken by San Francisco State University, commenced in September 2021 and is expected to round off in August 2023.
Originally allocated $1,045,078, the funding received a boost of an additional $387,308 as per a revision dated June 7, 2023, raising the total funding to $1,432,387. The project is focused on addressing the impact of racism and discrimination, believed to contribute to chronic stress and limited access to health determinants, thereby perpetuating racial health disparities.
The grant description labels the project as "community-prioritized research," aiming to harness "ancestral knowledges from different communities of color" to curb burgeoning health disparities via various sector collaborators. One key strategy involves ensuring “equitable access to physical activity in public parks.”
The research aims to uncover knowledge about anti-racist healing in nature as a method for stress reduction in BIPOC young adults, as per the grant description. Despite the considerable sum allocated, the study claims to use "cost-effective, low-resource interventions," the Daily Wire reported.
San Francisco State University's website acknowledges that while nature serves as an ancestral healing place for many communities, it can often feel unwelcoming or unsafe for people of color. SF State News reports highlight the inaccessibility of nature's solace to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities.
The study, informally known as "From Hood to Woods," invites participants aged between 18 and 26 who identify as a person from the Latinx, Black, Pacific Islander, and/or Filipinx community. Participants stand to receive over $100 in compensation and free weekend trips to the Redwoods.
The project aims to promote queries like "What do anti-racist green spaces look like?" and "How do green spaces make you feel 'welcomed' or 'un-welcomed'?" This initiative is part of a broader NIH program, aiming to advance "health equity" and minimize health disparities among different demographic groups.
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