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*Text Courtesy PTI

Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea! Living by a seaside near the coast is healthier than living inland, a new research has found.

According to the study, people who live near the coast tend to be healthier than those who set up a home further inland.

Scientists analysed data from the 2001 census and compared how healthy respondents said they were living closer to the sea, the `Daily Mail` reported.

Researchers looked at the proportion of people who reported their health as being `good`, rather than `fairly good` or `not good` and then compared this with how close those respondents lived to the coastline.

The analysis also showed that the link between living near the coast and good health was strongest in the most economically deprived communities.

"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," said the study lead author Dr Ben Wheeler.

"By analysing data for the whole population, our research suggests that there is a positive effect, although this type of study cannot prove cause and effect," Wheeler said.

Researchers from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health part of the Peninsula College of Medicine at the University of Exeter concluded that, on average, the closer we live to the sea, the more likely we are to report good health.

They took into account the way that age, sex and a range of social and economic factors, like education and income, vary across the country.

The results show that, on average, populations living by the sea report rates of good health more than similar populations living inland.

Researchers said one reason those living in coastal communities may attain better physical health could be due to the stress relief offered by spending time near the sea.

"We need to carry out more sophisticated studies to try to unravel the reasons that may explain the relationship we`re seeing, " Wheeler added.

"If the evidence is there, it might help to provide governments with the guidance necessary to wisely and sustainably use our valuable coasts to help improve the health of the whole UK population," Wheeler was quoted by the paper as saying.