Abstract: Whilst urban-dwelling individuals who seek out parks and gardens appear to intuitively understand the personal health and well-being benefits arising from ‘contact with nature’, public health strategies are yet to maximize the untapped resource nature provides, including the benefits of nature contact as an upstream health promotion intervention for populations. This paper presents a summary of empirical, theoretical and anecdotal evidence drawn from a literature review of the human health benefits of contact with nature. Initial findings indicate that nature plays a vital role in human health and well-being, and that parks and nature reserves play a significant role by providing access to nature for individuals. Implications suggest contact with nature may provide an effective population-wide strategy in prevention of mental ill health, with potential application for sub-populations, communities and individuals at higher risk of ill health. Recommendations include further investigation of ‘contact with nature’ in population health, and examination of the benefits of nature-based interventions. To maximize use of ‘contact with nature’ in the health promotion of populations, collaborative strategies between researchers and primary health, social services, urban planning and environmental management sectors are required. This approach offers not only an augmentation of existing health promotion and prevention activities, but provides the basis for a socio-ecological approach to public health that incorporates environmental sustainability.

Abstract: Dans de nombreux pays développés, les programmes d’échange de seringue (PES) sont un des éléments clefs de la politique de réduction des risques chez les usagers de drogues. La plupart des études sur les PES tendent à montrer qu’ils sont protecteurs vis-à-vis de la transmission du virus du sida (VIH) à condition d’être complétés par d’autres actions de réduction des risques. Leur efficacité sur la transmission du virus de l’hépatite C (VHC) semble beaucoup moins certaine. De plus, il apparaît que les jeunes usagers de drogues par injection (UDI), groupe à haut risque de contamination par le VIH et le VHC, ne fréquentent pas ou très peu les PES. En plus de maintenir un niveau d’accès suffisant aux seringues stériles, il est nécessaire de s’interroger sur la manière de toucher les jeunes usagers de drogues commençant à s’injecter des produits, en travaillant notamment sur leurs réseaux sociaux. Il faut également développer la prévention des pratiques sexuelles à risque, qui sont fortement associées aux pratiques à risque liées à l’injection. Enfin, il faut améliorer la qualité des évaluations de ces programmes. In several developed countries, needles exchange programs (NEPs) are a key preventive tool in harm reduction policy related to drug use. Many studies about NEP show it reduces HIV infections related to syringes sharing when part of others preventive actions. NEPs seem to have no impact on HCV transmission. Furthermore, young drug users, who are at high risk for HIV and HCV infections, are not attending NEPs very often. Trying to maintain high accessibility to sterile syringes, efforts must be stressed on hard-to-reach populations such as young injection drug users (IDU), focusing on their social network. Emphasis must also be put on prevention of unsafe sexual intercourse, often related to syringe sharing, which must be more prevented. Finally, design of assessment studies should be improved.