The Effect of Green Exercise on Blood Pressure, Heart Rate and Mood State in Primary School Children

Abstract

The aim of this study was exploratory and sought to examine the effect on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and mood state responses in primary school children of moderate intensity cycling whilst viewing a green environment compared to exercise alone. Following ethics approval and parental informed consent, 14 children (seven boys, seven girls, Mean age ± SD = 10 ± 1 years) undertook two, 15 min bouts of cycling at a moderate exercise intensity in a counterbalanced order. In one bout they cycled whilst viewing a film of cycling in a forest setting. In the other condition participants cycled with no visual stimulus. Pre-, immediately post-exercise and 15 min post-exercise, BP, HR and Mood state were assessed. Analysis of variance, indicated significant condition X time interaction for SBP (p = 0.04). Bonferroni post-hoc pairwise comparisons indicated that systolic blood pressure (SBP) 15 min post exercise was significantly lower following green exercise compared to the control condition (p = 0.01). There were no significant differences in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (all p > 0.05). HR immediately post exercise was significantly higher than HR pre exercise irrespective of green exercise or control condition (p = 0.001). Mood scores for fatigue were significantly higher and scores for vigor lower 15 min post exercise irrespective of green exercise or control condition (both p = 0.0001). Gender was not significant in any analyses (p > 0.05). Thus, the present study identifies an augmented post exercise hypotensive effect for children following green exercise compared to exercise alone.

A Review of the Health Benefits of Greenness

“…Two studies applied experimental approaches to examine the association between short-term exposure to simulated green spaces and blood pressure after short bouts of physical activity (83, 84), and found that subjects viewing videos of green, natural spaces had small reductions in blood pressure compared to those viewing urban scenes.…”

The role of wilderness therapy for adolescents in the face of global trends of urbanization and technification

“…As antidote to issues of urbanization which put adolescents 'at-risk' , outdoor programs using adventure activities have been suggested to build resilience and well-being (Ungar, Dumond, & McDonald, 2005). The physical self, the second of the three core elements, is the easiest to describe and support empirically; the physicality of outdoor travel and living is inherent and obvious, and the research on the benefits of physical exercise, especially in the context of 'green' or outdoor exercise, is growing rapidly (Barton & Pretty, 2010;Duncan et al, 2014). Green exercise has been found to improve mood states and positive engagement, reduce tension, confusion, anger and depression, and increase energy (Thompson Coon et al, 2011).…”

Nature Elements and Fundamental Motor Skill Development Opportunities at Five Elementary School Districts in British Columbia

“…Nor did we find information about the impact of playing in natural environments on gross motor skill development. With a growing literature highlighting the short [29,30,31] and longer-term importance of motor skill development [32] and a child’s micro environment to PA (particularly school grounds) [33,34,35], as well as the importance of exposure to nature to mental and physical well-being [36], we felt it was important to determine whether children were being exposed to natural features at their elementary schools and to assess whether these natural features afforded opportunities for motor skill development. …”