The Associations Among Nature Exposure, Physical Activity, and Adolescent Stress
Date
2023
Authors
Landers, Katie
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Stress has adverse health risks, especially during adolescent development, and can lead to depression or death by suicide. The present study examined the associations among nature exposure, physical activity, and adolescent stress. METHODS: A purposive sampling strategy was used for recruitment and 85 participants, 12 to 17 years old, from Lane County, OR during the Summer of 2022 were studied. Participants were involved in Visit One (consent/assent procedures, baseline survey, Actigraph accelerometer fitting, and downloading NatureQuant application), a 7-day participation period (wearing Actigraph accelerometer, regularly carrying a smartphone, and daily surveys completed), and Visit Two (Actigraph accelerometer returned, and gift cards earned for study completion). Mean daily nature exposure (NE) over the week, mean daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over the week, and mean stress score over the week were measured. RESULTS: Nature exposure was not significantly associated with stress and physical activity was not significantly associated with stress. However, nature exposure and physical activity were significantly positively associated (R = 0.349, p = 0.001). DISCUSSION: This study is a novel design with objectively measured independent variables. Further studies are needed to show the associations between NE, MVPA, and stress.
Description
Keywords
Nature exposure, Physical activity, Stress, Adolescents