A Scoping Review of the Relationship between Running and Mental Health

Oswald, Freya C.; Campbell, Jennifer; Williamson, Chloë; Richards, Justin; Kelly, Paul

doi:10.3390/ijerph17218059

Cited by 48 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 132 publications

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“…Studies have suggested that runners have a 25–40% reduced risk of premature mortality, as well as significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In terms of psychological benefits, studies have shown that running can improve both mood and mental health, especially depression and anxiety disorders [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Preferences and Concerns of Recreational Road Runners

Schuurman

Rosenkrantz

Lear

2021

IJERPH

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Recreational road running is growing in popularity and has been linked to numerous mental and physical health benefits. However, we know little about what environmental preferences or concerns runners have regarding participation in the sport, and whether differences exist across age and gender. We conducted a cross-sectional survey on recreational road runners to investigate the type of built and natural environments road runners prefer, as well as the safety and health concerns that may affect runners’ choice of environment. Responses were analyzed by age and gender. A total of 1228 road runners responded to the survey; 59.6% of respondents were women and 32.1% of respondents were men. Most respondents preferred to run on asphalt or sidewalk surfaces, and preferred well-lit, tree-lined routes. Major concerns for both men and women include animals and dangerous road conditions. Men and women differed significantly in their responses to the importance of running around others and their primary concerns while running. Results of this study serve to deepen our understanding of recreational road runners’ environmental preferences and concerns, providing valuable information for public health officials and city planners alike. This information must be considered if we are to continue to encourage uptake of running as a sport and reap its health effects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Preferences and Concerns of Recreational Road Runners

Schuurman

Rosenkrantz

Lear

2021

IJERPH

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“…Running is consistently shown to be one of the most popular forms of exercise, between 7.9 and 13.3% of adults participating in running worldwide (Hulteen et al, 2017 ). Running as a form of exercise is shown to have a wide variety of health benefits, ranging from improved cardiovascular fitness, reduced burden of chronic disease and even improved mental health (Lavie et al, 2015 ; Oswald et al, 2020 ). Aside from the obvious health benefits, running is consistently one of the most popular sports due to being low cost, widely accessible, and its associated social engagement from running clubs and large running races (Clough et al, 1989 ; Janssen et al, 2020 ; Dejong et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of COVID-19 Restrictions on Distance Runners' Training Habits Using Wearable Trackers

Chan

Peeters

Cheing

et al. 2022

Front. Sports Act. Living

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruption to many individuals' lifestyles. Social distancing restrictions implemented during this global pandemic may bring potential impact on physical activity habits of the general population. However, running is one of the most popular forms of physical activity worldwide and one in which it could be maintained even during most COVID-19 restrictions. We aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on runners' training habits through analyzing the training records obtained from their GPS enabled wearable trackers. Retrospective and prospective data were collected from an online database (https://wetrac.ucalgary.ca). Runners' training habits, including frequency, intensity and duration of training, weekly mileage and running locations were analyzed and compared 9 months before and after the start of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020. We found that runners ran 3 km per week more (p = 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.12) after the start of COVID-19 restrictions, and added 0.3 training sessions per week (p = 0.03, Cohen's d = 0.14). Moreover, runners ran an additional 0.4 sessions outdoors (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = 0.21) but there was no significant change in the intensity or duration of training sessions. Our findings suggested that runners adopted slightly different training regimen as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Our results described the collective changes, irrespective of differences in response measures adopted by various countries or cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…The determinants of mental wellbeing, which should be included in any health promotion strategy, are social, cultural, environmental and biological [ 4 , 9 ]. Physical activity has been shown to enhance mental health and wellbeing [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Being active in a natural environment [ 16 , 17 , 18 ] and in a group [ 19 ] can further contribute to good mental wellbeing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivation to Improve Mental Wellbeing via Community Physical Activity Initiatives and the Associated Impacts—A Cross-Sectional Survey of UK parkrun Participants

Haake

Quirk

Bullas

2021

IJERPH

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Participation in regular physical activity is a well-established strategy to support good mental wellbeing in adults with, and without, mental health conditions. The physical activity initiative parkrun is a free, weekly, timed, running and walking event which is attended by people from the local community of all abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental wellbeing of UK parkrun participants along with their motives for taking part and the impact of participation. Mental health conditions were self-reported in 2.5% of 60,000 respondents to an online survey of parkrunners, with the most prevalent being depression and anxiety. Those with mental health conditions were more motivated than those without to first participate in parkrun to manage their health conditions and improve their mental health. Those with mental health conditions were equally motivated to improve their physical health when compared to those without, and reported similar levels of improvement. Mental wellbeing scores for those with mental health conditions were close to the normal range, suggesting that engagement in parkrun may have had a role in limiting the effect of their illness. Community initiatives could replicate parkrun’s model, and use the potential for both mental and physical health improvement, as well as health condition management, as a motivation for participation.

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A Scoping Review of the Relationship between Running and Mental Health

Cited by 48 publications

References 132 publications

Environmental Preferences and Concerns of Recreational Road Runners

Environmental Preferences and Concerns of Recreational Road Runners

Evaluation of COVID-19 Restrictions on Distance Runners' Training Habits Using Wearable Trackers

Motivation to Improve Mental Wellbeing via Community Physical Activity Initiatives and the Associated Impacts—A Cross-Sectional Survey of UK parkrun Participants

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