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Does Physical Activity in Natural Outdoor Environments Improve Wellbeing? A Meta-Analysis
Caitlin Kelley1, Diane E Mack1, Philip M Wilson1
1Behavioural Health Sciences Research Lab, Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada.
Sports (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 25, 2022
Summary
Physical activity in natural outdoor environments (NOE) is linked to moderate wellbeing benefits in adults. While NOE activity showed higher wellbeing scores, evidence for superior benefits over indoor activity is limited.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Psychology
- Public Health
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Growing recognition of the natural outdoor environment's (NOE) positive impact on wellbeing.
- Need to synthesize research on physical activity (PA) within NOE and its effects on adult wellbeing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analyze the effects of physical activity (PA) in the natural outdoor environment (NOE) on adult wellbeing.
- To compare wellbeing outcomes between PA in NOE and indoor PA contexts.
Main Methods:
- Systematic meta-analysis of peer-reviewed English articles published before January 2019.
- Inclusion criteria: healthy adults, PA in NOE, measured wellbeing, and specific study designs (RCTs, quasi-experimental, matched groups).
- Risk of bias assessed using the EHPP Quality Assessment Tool.
Main Results:
- A moderate overall effect size (d = 0.49) was found for PA in NOE on wellbeing.
- Wellbeing was greater in the NOE subgroup (d = 0.53) compared to the indoor subgroup (d = 0.28), though not statistically significant (p = 0.15).
- Effect magnitude varied based on the specific dimension of wellbeing measured.
Conclusions:
- Physical activity in natural outdoor environments is associated with enhanced wellbeing in adults.
- Limited evidence suggests NOE PA offers superior wellbeing benefits compared to indoor PA.
- Future research should employ longitudinal designs, assess diverse wellbeing dimensions, and justify PA/NOE choices.
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