Empirical Examinations of Effects of Three-Level Green Exercise on Engagement with Nature and Physical Activity

Han, Ke-Tsung; Wang, Po-Ching

doi:10.3390/ijerph15020375

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…However, the exercise environment provides the area to facilitate this. Researchers Han and Wang (2018) [40] highlight that individuals who choose to shift focus away from the natural environment may not receive benefits from conducting green exercise. This may be reflected with the motivation subscale ‘psychological condition’ being ranked lowest between the three forms of green exercise within competitive sport participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Motivates Participants to Adhere to Green Exercise?

Fraser

Muñoz

MacRury

2019

IJERPH

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There is a lack of research into green exercise which investigates and compares motivational drivers between the different types of outdoor activities. The current paper addressed this gap by classifying and comparing three types of green exercise: (i) Recreational physical activity, (ii) competitive sport, and (iii) outdoor adventure sport. Using a mixed methodological approach, the present study investigated the motivations for adhering to green exercise and directly compared the differences between these three forms of green exercise. Online questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were used to collect data. The results demonstrated that within all types of green exercise, enjoyment was the greatest motivator. Based on analysis of the qualitative materials, extrinsic motivators such as the environment, family, and friends were highlighted as key factors in beginning and continuing their activity. However, intrinsic motivators were also emphasised as more important in adherence to green exercise. Furthermore, as seen in other research, numerous psychological benefits were reported over time. The results of the study may act as a starting point in understanding how we may increase public engagement in green exercise by prompting participants to select a form of green exercise that best suits them based on their motivational profile.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Motivates Participants to Adhere to Green Exercise?

Fraser

Muñoz

MacRury

2019

IJERPH

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“…Participants in the walking group demonstrated a significant decrease in the physical exhaustion subscale, whereas the golf condition in fact showed a non-significant increase. Researcher’s Han and Wang (2018) [29] raise an interesting point regarding attentional focus. They state if an individual exercising in nature shifts attentional focus away from the environment, the physical and psychological benefits may be removed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rogerson et al (2016) suggested “the need for identifying remaining gaps in green exercise where the focus on the activity is greater for example during games or sports” [18] (p. 12). This point was echoed by Han and Wang (2018) who stated, “green exercise studies need to investigate a range of physical activities, participants and environments.” [29] (p.12). In terms of the study design, researchers Bamberg, Hitchings and Latham (2018) [30] also highlight that future green exercise studies should look to use more qualitative research methods to increase understanding between the exercise and environment response.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Mode of Exercise Influence the Benefits Obtained by Green Exercise?

Fraser

Muñoz

MacRury

2019

IJERPH

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Green exercise studies have tended to use walking as a modality of exercise to establish benefits to mental health. Whether green exercise benefits translate into different forms of green exercise has been deemed an important research gap. A mixed-methods study design was used to compare psychological responses between two forms of green exercise; golf and walking. A total of 20 participants (10 in each group), with a range of ages and experience were recruited to take part in the study. Participants in the walking condition exhibited significantly greater levels of dissociative cognitions than golf condition participants. Consequently, only the walking condition significantly improved in a directed attention test. Results from the Exercise-Induced Feeling Inventory questionnaire found the walking condition demonstrated increases in all four subscales, whereas the golf condition showed no significant improvements. Based on the findings from the qualitative analysis, distinct differences were seen with regards to the perception of the environment. Participants in the golf condition noted natural elements as obstacles to effective performance, whereas the walking group noted natural stimuli as evoking positive feelings. In agreement with the Attention Restoration Theory, the current study demonstrates that the benefits of green exercise are somewhat reduced when greater levels of directed attention towards the activity are exhibited during green exercise.

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“…As for studies focusing on the third level of green exercise (active participation and involvement with nature), emphasis has been placed on gardening activities, "nature experiences," and "outward bound experiences." Few studies have examined all three levels concurrently [26]. Only six studies [11,[27][28][29][30][31] have been published on this subject, which compared only the effects of two levels of green exercise, but not all three.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The third level of green exercise (active participation and involvement with nature) was also found to have a greater effect of stress restoration than the first level of green exercise (viewing nature) [30]. Furthermore, research on green exercise has rarely considered the degree of engagement with nature or empirically examined its effects on people [26], even though the degree of engagement with nature is the criterion of the categorization of three levels of green exercise. Therefore, the first objective of the present study was to examine the effects of all three levels of green exercise on people's psychological health to address the gap in the literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Three Levels of Green Exercise, Physical and Social Environments, Personality Traits, Physical Activity, and Engagement with Nature on Emotions and Attention

Han

2021

Sustainability

Self Cite

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The current study examined the effects of the three levels of green exercise on people’s psychological health using a randomized trial with a pretest and posttest design and further explored which variables of the physical environment (thermal comfort, noise, and air pollution), social environment (the number of companions and crowdedness), personality traits, physical activity (intensity and frequency), and engagement with nature may help explain experiences during the three levels of green exercise using a cross-sectional approach. Field studies were conducted to test the study’s hypotheses. The participants were 95 students from a technology university in Taiwan. The experiment comprised a 15-minute green exercise in a park. No significant differences were found in emotions and attention between the three levels of green exercise. However, a 15-minute green exercise of any level significantly improved emotions and attention. Furthermore, fatigue was significantly and negatively associated with daily transportation-related physical activity, agreeableness, and engagement with nature. Moreover, the total mood disturbance was significantly and negatively associated with engagement with nature and daily transportation-related physical activity. The degree of engagement with nature played a pivotal role in green exercise. This study provided the evidence that quantified engagement with nature is beneficial for quantified psychological health for the first time.

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Empirical Examinations of Effects of Three-Level Green Exercise on Engagement with Nature and Physical Activity

Cited by 13 publications

References 41 publications

What Motivates Participants to Adhere to Green Exercise?

What Motivates Participants to Adhere to Green Exercise?

Does the Mode of Exercise Influence the Benefits Obtained by Green Exercise?

Effects of Three Levels of Green Exercise, Physical and Social Environments, Personality Traits, Physical Activity, and Engagement with Nature on Emotions and Attention

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