The Daily Pennsylvanian: Penn Med Project Looks to See if Spending Time in Nature Can Lessen Postpartum Depression

A new Penn Medicine pilot program aims to find if spending time outdoor spaces can lessen or prevent postpartum depression in new mothers. Nurtured in Nature is a four-week intervention program for women ages 18 and older who had just had a baby and who lived in predominantly Black neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The project was created by Penn Medicine Assistant Professor Dr. Eugenia South, and all research was completed earlier this year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Philadelphia in early March. “With this program, I am hoping to develop something that will connect women from Black communities to nearby nature in a way that may not have been connected before, and positively influence health by doing so,” South wrote in an emailed statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Read more in the Daily Pennsylvanian.