Doctoral Dissertation Research:The Social Construction of Nature and Health through Engagement with National Parks in Southeast Alaska

博士论文研究：通过参与阿拉斯加东南部国家公园的自然与健康社会建设

• 批准号: 1743112
• 负责人: Deborah Thomas
• 金额: $ 2.93万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Denver-Downtown Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-07-15 至 2020-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1743112&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Social; Construction

Paragraph 1Alaska is commonly characterized as cold, remote, rugged and, above all, natural, and attracts over one million visitors per year. In parallel fashion, interacting with nature is widely viewed as healthy. With the explicit goal of "creating healthy outdoor recreation" opportunities, and as places where many people seek to experience nature, many parks function as a focal point where complex interpretations of the health-nature nexus play out. Tensions persist as to what constitutes an "authentic nature experience" and therefore what constitutes a "healthy nature experience." Few studies have engaged a comprehensive view of health as a platform for exploring human-environmental interactions. This research will further explore opportunities to improve health, as well as leverage existing outdoor programs for visitors and the general public. This work will produce important information that can directly improve public programming in national, regional, and potentially local outdoor destinations. By encouraging more inclusive views of engagement and the potential comprehensive health benefits, public engagement and experiences can be enriched and reach more diverse audiences. Paragraph 2This research will further a theoretical understanding of what factors influence a comprehensive perception of health and engagement with nature using an interdisciplinary social science perspective drawing on geography, anthropology, and health and behavioral science. Few studies have engaged a holistic view of health as a platform for exploring human-environmental interactions that incorporate the power dynamics embedded in socially-constructed views of nature and health. This project is a case study of an outdoor destination in Skagway, Alaska that examines how the perceived health of two primary visitor populations, cruise ship tourists and people attempting a 33-mile backcountry trail, is influenced by perceptions of nature. By exploring the complexity of health-nature relationships, this project seeks to expand the definition of who can participate and receive health benefits from the natural environment beyond the gendered, racialized, able-bodied, ideal of an outdoor enthusiast. This work will produce important information that can directly improve: programming for outdoor destination tourism and other visitors, as well as the general public; inform public interpretation and guidance given by park rangers, outdoor education staff, and local guides; and has the potential to inform marketing and recruitment materials used in public outreach.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

阿拉斯加的普遍特点是寒冷、偏远、崎岖，最重要的是自然，每年吸引一百多万游客。 与此同时，与自然互动被广泛认为是健康的。 有了“创造健康的户外休闲”机会的明确目标，作为许多人寻求体验自然的地方，许多公园成为一个焦点，在那里对健康与自然的关系进行了复杂的解释。关于什么是“真实的自然体验”，因此什么是“健康的自然体验”，人们一直存在着紧张的关系。“很少有研究将健康作为探索人类与环境相互作用的平台。这项研究将进一步探索改善健康的机会，并利用现有的游客和公众户外活动。这项工作将产生重要的信息，可以直接改善国家，地区和潜在的地方户外目的地的公共规划。 通过鼓励更具包容性的参与观点和潜在的综合健康效益，可以丰富公众参与和经验，并接触到更多样化的受众。第2段本研究将进一步从理论上理解什么因素影响了对健康的综合看法，并利用地理学，人类学，健康和行为科学的跨学科社会科学视角与自然接触。 很少有研究将健康的整体观作为探索人类与环境相互作用的平台，这种相互作用将权力动态嵌入社会构建的自然和健康观中。 该项目是一个案例研究的户外目的地在斯卡格威，阿拉斯加，探讨如何感知健康的两个主要游客群体，游轮游客和人尝试33英里的穷乡僻壤的线索，是由自然的看法的影响。 通过探索健康与自然关系的复杂性，该项目旨在扩大谁可以参与并从自然环境中获得健康益处的定义，超越性别，种族化，身体健全，户外爱好者的理想。 这项工作将产生重要的信息，可以直接改善：户外旅游目的地和其他游客以及公众的规划;通知公园护林员，户外教育工作人员和当地导游给予的公众解释和指导;该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得支持通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。