Loneliness has moved beyond being seen as a private struggle, and is now a pressing public health challenge worldwide. In France, the proportion of adults who report feeling lonely “often or almost every day” jumped from 19% in 2020 to 29% in 2022 (Fondation de France. Solitudes 2022: Regards sur les Fragilites Relationnelles). This rising issue carries real risks: chronic loneliness is linked to a 26% increase in all-cause mortality and is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease, depression, and accelerated cognitive decline.
But what if part of the solution lay just outside our doors in nature? A recent study from the RECETAS project team in Marseille, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, explores how professionals are rethinking loneliness through Nature-Based Social Prescriptions (NBSPs) – structured group activities in natural settings, like gardening, nature walks, or outdoor workshops, designed to nurture both social bonds and individual well-being. Read the full study « Conceptualising a Community-Based Response to Loneliness: The Representational Anchoring of Nature-Based Social Prescription by Professionals in Marseille, Insights from the RECETAS Project » – Lucie Cattaneo, Alexandre Daguzan, Gabriela García Vélez and Stéphanie Gentile.
What are Nature-Based Social Prescriptions?
Social prescribing connects people with non-medical activities in their community to strengthen health and connection. Nature-Based Social Prescriptions (NBSPs) take a step further by anchoring those activities in natural settings, as evidence shows that spending time in nature reduces stress, encourages social connection, and restores mental health.
The RECETAS project is piloting NBSPs in six cities worldwide – Barcelona, Helsinki, Melbourne, and Marseille – where urban inequalities often limit access to green space.
The objective of this study in Marseille is to explore how professionals in health, social care, and urban environment sectors conceptualise NBSP at the outset, and to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to its implementation. As part of this initial diagnosis phase, NBSP was found to be largely unfamiliar: a 2021 mapping of local actors showed that 89% of professionals in Marseille did not know the term.
Loneliness in Marseille: a mirror of social and spatial inequalities
Marseille, France’s second-largest city, illustrates the complex intersection of social, territorial, and environmental inequalities. Its northern districts are home to high poverty rates, limited public transport, and scarce green spaces (just 5m² per resident), far below the World Health Organization’s recommended 9m². For many residents in situations of vulnerability, particularly young people, low-income older adults, people with disabilities or chronic illness, and single-parent families in precarious situations – nature feels distant both physically and symbolically.
Professionals interviewed for the study described the disadvantaged neighborhoods of Marseille as being filled with “concrete everywhere, not even a single tree” in stark contrast to the more privileged and greener neighborhoods of the city. They also noted that residents of these deprived neighborhoods often feel ‘out of place’ in natural spaces like the nearby Calanques National Park.
Key insights from professionals
Researchers conducted 12 in-depth interviews with professionals from three fields: social work, healthcare, and nature in the city. Five themes emerged:
- A holistic conception of health, community, and nature. Professionals emphasized that health is not only physical but also social and environmental. They saw NBSPs as catalysts for both personal well-being and community connection.
- Structural inequalities are a Access to nature in Marseille is shaped by stark inequalities. Beyond physical distance, social and symbolic barriers, such as feelings of exclusion from certain spaces,restricting people’s ability or willingness to access them. These structural divides directly influence people’s capacity to engage in community-based health initiatives.
- Populations facing cumulative disadvantage. For residents struggling with housing insecurity, food scarcity, or precarious living conditions, immediate daily needs take priority, making long-term involvement in activities difficult. Addressing these challenges requires going beyond access alone, focusing instead on empowerment and co-creating solutions with communities.
- Pathways toward participation and recognition. Participation must be meaningful. Professionals stressed that NBSPs should be co-designed with communities rather than imposed from above, ensuring they are both legitimate and integrated within healthcare pathways.
- Barriers and facilitators to NBSP implementation. While enthusiasm for NBSPs was strong, professionals highlighted institutional obstacles such as scarce resources and rigid top-down systems. At the same time, several facilitators stood out: alignment with existing professional values, recognition of nature’s restorative power for self-esteem, and a shared sense of urgency in responding to loneliness and social isolation.
Why this matters
The study highlights both the promise and the paradox of NBSPs. On one hand, they offer a low-cost, community-driven way to address loneliness while tackling health inequalities. On the other hand , their success depends on overcoming systemic barriers, such as unequal access to nature, institutional rigidity, and the daily precarity of those most affected by loneliness.
The takeaway? Nature alone isn’t the cure, but when combined with participatory, community-based approaches, it can help repair social bonds and reduce the stigma of loneliness.
Looking ahead
As Marseille and other RECETAS cities continue piloting NBSPs, the challenge will be to embed them in wider public policies, ensuring they reach those most excluded from both social life and green spaces, forging connections between people and their environments, in a world where loneliness is rising alongside urbanization.
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