Impacts of Biophilic Elementson Health in Ibarapageneral Hospitals, Southwest, Nigeria

Against the background of the fact that various authors have recognized the impacts of biophilicelements on the health of residents in both residential and commercial building settings, this study assesses the impacts of biophilic elements on the health of residents in the general hospitals in Ibarapa region of Oyo State, southwest, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was employed and three sets of questionnaires were administered to two hundred and twenty- nine respondents comprising one hundred and twenty-five patients, seventy- two medical practitioners and thirty- two visitors. Frequency counts, percentages and cross tabulation were used to analyze the data collected and mean weight value was used to measure the impacts of biophilic elements on health. Results showed that the available biophilic elements in the hospitals are mostly greenery and plants (58.5%) as well as natural light (27.9%). Biophilic elements had strong impact on relaxation (IBEH =4.46;4.81), and minimal impact on cognitive restoration (IBEH = 3.97;4.50). It was concluded that biophilic elements aids relaxation in the hospitals and had low impact on cognitive restoration. The study therefore recommends that emphasis should be harnessed to create more outdoor gardens and courtyards for people to relax and connect with nature as well as factor in, indoor plants in waiting areas, wards and offices to bring greenery inside spaces.