– Research from around the globe shows us children and youth are spending less time outdoors. This is a public health matter, says Tassy Thompson, 
outdoor play designer with a PhD in eco-systemic thinking and sustainable suburban development from the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).
Last week researchers in eye health, sport and play, public health leaders and advisors, educators and outdoor play space design practitioners gathered for a workshop to address the importance of daylight exposure and preventative health.
They are a part of the new "Right to daylight" project, initiated by Thompson and professor Rigmor Baraas from USN.
Crucial to eye and brain development
Public health information guidelines for parents, educators, childcare organisations and play designers often link outdoor play with positive health outcomes. However, there is little explicit information about the vital role of daylight exposure on the eye.
– This project aims to support the generally accepted understanding that outdoor play and recreation for children and youth is good for health with the internationally peer reviewed empirical science on daylight exposure and its role in eye and brain development, circadian rhythm, sleep, heart and mental health, says Thompson.
Access to sufficient daylight is a fundamental part of children and young people's 'right to play' and 'right to health,' as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Extreme changes in weather and temperature, the use of digital technology, changes in transportation, and lifestyle choices are some of the reasons for why we are now spending increasingly more time indoors.
"Walk the talk"
The interdisciplinary workshop in Kongsberg was both informative and playful, and, of course, it was largely spent outdoors.
– It's important to step out of our specialist bubbles to work together for public health through research and design for outdoor play and the science of eye health, says Tassy Thompson.
Looking at the use of local urban landscape and Kongsberg’s new all-age recreation infrastructure, the participants shared their commitment to outdoor play and recreation, community wellbeing and ecological systems thinking
– For people to want to spend time outdoors, the areas must be inviting, explains Thompson.
Great effect on eye health
The hybrid workshop continued back on campus with groupwork, playful brain activities and looking at the next actionable steps which include:
- a child and youth led research and design workshop using personal daylight sensor technology
- a shared science knowledge base for the wider network of colleagues of practitioners and policy makers
- intergenerational activities to look at the effective design and use of outdoor space
- consortium building towards the national and international stage of the project
The team dipped into the science of eye health with Professor Rigmor Baraas, leader of USN’s Colour Vision and Retinal Health Laboratory and Editor-in-chief for Scandinavian Journal of Optometry and Visual Sciences.
– The information we have today indicates that spending time outdoors and getting enough daylight is important for regulating normal eye growth and developing good vision," says Baraas.
And it’s the outdoor daylight that matters. Simply having a window is not enough.
In the first phase of the project, the goal is to support existing health initiatives, policies, and guidelines through research-based knowledge.
Later, they will also collaborate with national and international partners to address the complex challenge of how we organize our daily lives to ensure we balance the need for daylight.
