How living near coastal areas benefit your health

http://www.businessinsider.com/where-you-live-can-impact-your-health--and-coastal-areas-are-better-for-you-2012-7

Living or even just spending time near the sea could potentially improve your health, new research suggests.

"We know that people usually have a good time when they go to the beach, but there is strikingly little evidence of how spending time at the coast can affect health and well being," study researcher Ben Wheeler, of the University of Exeter, said in a statement from the university.

"If the evidence is there, it might help to provide governments with the guidance necessary to wisely and sustainably use our valuable coasts."

The study used data from 48 million responses a 2001 census in the UK. The researchers looked at who rated their health as "good" and analyzed where these people lived. They controlled for age, sex, and other social and economic factors. It was published June 30 in the journal Health & Place.

They found a slight difference in average health between inland populations and those who lived by the coast. The coast populations were healthier.