IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i2p1280-d1031491.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Leveraging Campus Landscapes for Public Health: A Pilot Study to Understand the Psychological Effects of Urban Sheep Grazing on College Campuses

Author

Listed:
  • A. Haven Kiers

    (Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA)

  • Kelly M. Nishimura

    (Office of Campus Planning, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA)

  • Carolyn S. Dewa

    (Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA)

Abstract

Since the 1980s, college students in the U.S. have self-reported a decline in their physical and emotional health. With these conditions compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and its physical distancing restrictions, higher education institutions have an increased responsibility to establish strategic interventions and health-promoting programs for their students. Research collaborations between public health professionals and environmental designers have highlighted the benefits of environmental factors, such as wildlife, street trees, and public parks, on mental health. This pilot project aims to build upon the transdisciplinary dialogue between ecology, design, and public health by examining the social benefits of grazing lawnscape management, which is the practice of using herbivorous livestock to manage turfgrass areas. Through the design of an accessible central campus grazing space for a flock of 25 sheep and use of online questionnaires, a smartphone-based single-item survey, and open-ended feedback given via social media, the UC Davis Sheepmower Project addresses three primary questions: (1) Are there differences in self-reported stress levels and well-being between people who did not watch grazing sheep (no sheepmower group) compared with those who did watch grazing sheep (sheepmower group)? (2) Does holding sheep grazing events create opportunities for education about well-being and engagement with the campus community? (3) Can this type of urban grazing installation ultimately contribute to the overall identity of a college campus? Web-based questionnaire results indicate there is no significant difference in self-reported stress levels between the two groups; however, the moment-in-time smartphone-based single item question suggests that the presence of sheep provides temporary, noticeable relief and enhanced mood for those who observe the animals. Reflections posted on social media suggested that participants found the sheep grazing events fostered feelings of community and placemaking within the campus identity. However, the questionnaire sample indicated the grazing events did not have a significant effect on participants’ sense of place or overall campus identity. This transdisciplinary effort breaks down traditionally siloed approaches to human and environmental health and is an example of a whole-systems approach to developing innovative solutions and encouraging applied collective action.

Suggested Citation

  • A. Haven Kiers & Kelly M. Nishimura & Carolyn S. Dewa, 2023. "Leveraging Campus Landscapes for Public Health: A Pilot Study to Understand the Psychological Effects of Urban Sheep Grazing on College Campuses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:2:p:1280-:d:1031491
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/2/1280/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/2/1280/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chirikov, Igor & Soria, Krista M & Horgos, Bonnie & Jones-White, Daniel, 2020. "Undergraduate and Graduate Students’ Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic," University of California at Berkeley, Center for Studies in Higher Education qt80k5d5hw, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley.
    2. Catharine Ward Thompson & Peter Aspinall & Jenny Roe & Lynette Robertson & David Miller, 2016. "Mitigating Stress and Supporting Health in Deprived Urban Communities: The Importance of Green Space and the Social Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, April.
    3. Kathleen L. Wolf & Sharon T. Lam & Jennifer K. McKeen & Gregory R.A. Richardson & Matilda van den Bosch & Adrina C. Bardekjian, 2020. "Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-30, June.
    4. Andrea Colantoni & Gianluca Egidi & Giovanni Quaranta & Roberto D’Alessandro & Sabato Vinci & Rosario Turco & Luca Salvati, 2020. "Sustainable Land Management, Wildfire Risk and the Role of Grazing in Mediterranean Urban-Rural Interfaces: A Regional Approach from Greece," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-16, January.
    5. S. Brent Jackson & Kathryn T. Stevenson & Lincoln R. Larson & M. Nils Peterson & Erin Seekamp, 2021. "Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-18, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Goran Krsnik & Sonia Reyes-Paecke & Keith M. Reynolds & Jordi Garcia-Gonzalo & José Ramón González Olabarria, 2023. "Assessing Relativeness in the Provision of Urban Ecosystem Services: Better Comparison Methods for Improved Well-Being," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, May.
    2. Hyun Jin Lee & Dong Kun Lee, 2019. "Do Sociodemographic Factors and Urban Green Space Affect Mental Health Outcomes Among the Urban Elderly Population?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-13, March.
    3. William C. Sullivan & Chun-Yen Chang, 2017. "Landscapes and Human Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-2, October.
    4. Judith Schröder & Susanne Moebus & Julita Skodra, 2022. "Selected Research Issues of Urban Public Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-28, May.
    5. Ryschawy, Julie & Tiffany, Sara & Gaudin, Amélie & Niles, Meredith T. & Garrett, Rachael D., 2021. "Moving niche agroecological initiatives to the mainstream: A case-study of sheep-vineyard integration in California," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    6. Mira Hobeika & Victoria Dawalibi & Georgio Kallas & Alessio Russo, 2024. "Evaluating the Landscape and Ecological Aspects of Urban Planning in Byblos: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Assessing Urban Forests," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, April.
    7. Emilijus Žilinskas & Giedrė Žulpaitė & Kristijonas Puteikis & Rima Viliūnienė, 2021. "Mental Health among Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Lithuania," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, December.
    8. Megan Heckert & Amanda Bristowe, 2021. "Parks and the Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Research on Green Infrastructure Use and Health Outcomes during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-17, December.
    9. Juntti, Meri & Ozsezer-Kurnuc, Sevda, 2023. "Factors influencing the realisation of the social impact of urban nature in inner-city environments: A systematic review of complex evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    10. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Alexandra Sandu & Chris Taylor & Jennifer May Hampton, 2024. "Children’s Subjective Well-Being During the Coronavirus Pandemic," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 17(1), pages 309-347, February.
    11. Pereira, Mauro F. & Vale, David S. & Santana, Paula, 2023. "Is walkability equitably distributed across socio-economic groups? – A spatial analysis for Lisbon metropolitan area," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    12. Chorong Song & Harumi Ikei & Bum-Jin Park & Juyoung Lee & Takahide Kagawa & Yoshifumi Miyazaki, 2020. "Association between the Psychological Effects of Viewing Forest Landscapes and Trait Anxiety Level," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-9, July.
    13. Saadi Diana & Tirosh Emanuel & Agay-Shay Keren & Schnell Izhak, 2019. "Ethnic Differences in Home-Related Maternal Stress: Muslim and Jewish Mothers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-13, November.
    14. Ingrid Vigna & Angelo Besana & Elena Comino & Alessandro Pezzoli, 2021. "Application of the Socio-Ecological System Framework to Forest Fire Risk Management: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    15. Hanna Weimann & Jonas Björk & Carita Håkansson, 2019. "Experiences of the Urban Green Local Environment as a Factor for Well-Being among Adults: An Exploratory Qualitative Study in Southern Sweden," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-14, July.
    16. Yijun Zhao & Yi Ding & Yangqian Shen & Samuel Failing & Jacqueline Hwang, 2022. "Different Coping Patterns among US Graduate and Undergraduate Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Machine Learning Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-16, February.
    17. Brad M. Barber & Wei Jiang & Adair Morse & Manju Puri & Heather Tookes & Ingrid M. Werner, 2021. "What Explains Differences in Finance Research Productivity during the Pandemic?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 76(4), pages 1655-1697, August.
    18. Gill Hubbard & Chantal den Daas & Marie Johnston & Peter Murchie & Catharine Ward Thompson & Diane Dixon, 2021. "Are Rurality, Area Deprivation, Access to Outside Space, and Green Space Associated with Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross Sectional Study (CHARIS-E)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-17, April.
    19. Yang Zhang & Agnes E. Van den Berg & Terry Van Dijk & Gerd Weitkamp, 2017. "Quality over Quantity: Contribution of Urban Green Space to Neighborhood Satisfaction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-10, May.
    20. Anita Kwartnik-Pruc & Gabriela Droj, 2023. "The Role of Allotments and Community Gardens and the Challenges Facing Their Development in Urban Environments—A Literature Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-26, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:2:p:1280-:d:1031491. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.