Outdoor recreation and nature’s contribution to well-being in a pandemic situation - Case Turku, Finland

Fagerholm, Nora; Eilola, Salla; Arki, Vesa

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127257

Cited by 79 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…In our study, outdoor recreation was measured as a wide range of activities taking place outdoors, and not necessarily in parks. The protective effects of outdoor recreation on emotional distress vanished when controlling for park use and area in fully-adjusted models, supporting other research suggesting the mental health benefits of outdoor recreation during the pandemic might be most pronounced in nature-based settings ( Fagerholm et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…These stringent regulations might deter outdoor recreation in certain places, while encouraging it in other places when indoor alternatives become limited ( Slater et al, 2020 ). Uncertainty regarding the risk of outdoor virus transmission in the early stages of pandemic appeared to fuel hesitancy and precaution with respect to outdoor activities, a finding that has been noted in other studies ( Fagerholm et al, 2021 ; Mateer et al, 2021 ). For many students, pandemic-induced cycles of stress, anxiety, isolation, and sedentary behavior likely made outdoor recreation unappealing or difficult ( Browning et al, 2021 ; Elmer et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

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Greenspace and park use associated with less emotional distress among college students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

Larson

Mullenbach

Browning

et al. 2022

Environmental Research

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The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected many people's psychological health. Impacts may be particularly severe among socially vulnerable populations such as college students, a group predisposed to mental health problems. Outdoor recreation and visits to greenspaces such as parks offer promising pathways for addressing the mental health challenges associated with COVID-19. During the early stages of the pandemic (March–May 2020), we surveyed 1280 college students at four large public universities across the United States (U.S.) to assess how, and why, outdoor recreation and park use changed since the emergence of COVID-19. We also measured students' self-reported levels of emotional distress (a proxy for psychological health) and assessed potential demographic and contextual correlates of distress, including county-level per capita park area and greenness, using generalized linear models. We found that 67% of students reported limiting outdoor activities and 54% reported reducing park use during the pandemic. Students who reduced their use of outdoor spaces cited structural reasons (e.g., lockdowns), concerns about viral transmission, and negative emotions that obstructed active lifestyles. Students who maintained pre-pandemic park use levels expressed a desire to be outdoors in nature, often with the explicit goal of improving mental and physical health. Emotional distress among students was widespread. Models showed higher levels of emotional distress were associated with reducing park use during the pandemic and residing in counties with a smaller area of parks per capita. This study of U.S. college students supports the value of park-based recreation as a health promotion strategy for diverse populations of young adults during a time of crisis.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Greenspace and park use associated with less emotional distress among college students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

Larson

Mullenbach

Browning

et al. 2022

Environmental Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Approaches used in these reviewed articles focus on subjective WB, using the participatory process, personal observation, experience, social survey, questionnaire, manipulated reality, or fuzzy cognitive mapping [20][21][22][23][24][25]. Others objectivize WB evaluation using literature review, field research, spatial analysis involving GIS and remote sensing, land use, landscape metrics, statistical methods [26][27][28][29][30][31], or a combination of subjective and objective WB evaluation methods [32,33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stakeholders’ Perceptions on the Role of Urban Green Infrastructure in Providing Ecosystem Services for Human Well-Being

Nastran

Pintar

Železnikar

et al. 2022

Land

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The perception of linkages between ecosystem services (ES) and the urban green infrastructure (UGI) is evaluated, and their impact on human well-being (WB) is defined. Using a theoretical approach, the UGI’s specific contribution to WB is calculated as the sum of the products of (a) the number of perceived ES per ES group and the WB weight factor divided by the product of (b) the number of respondents and (c) the sum of the products of ES and the WB weight factor. Stakeholders demand more ES than the perceived ES supply from all types of UGI, especially for the social relations component of WB. The highest number of perceived ES and greatest impact on all WB components is provided by urban forests. This method could be helpful in acknowledging ES and involving stakeholders not previously familiar with the ES concept with the aim of introducing ES into UGI governance.

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“…Urban parks, forests and natural areas are restorative environments for urban dwellers, and people who have green spaces at their disposal are considered healthier ( Tsai et al, 2018 ; van den Berg et al, 2016 ; Wood et al, 2017 ). Those who live beyond a 1 km radius from green space are more likely to experience stress than others who live inside a 300 m radius, however, green spaces further away from home (3 km or more) are particularly important in helping people cope with negative health impacts of stressful life events ( Dadvand et al, 2016 ; Fagerholm et al, 2021 ; Triguero-Mas et al, 2015 ; Venter et al, 2021 ; von Lindern et al, 2016 ). It’s particularly important to pay attention to low-income or socio-economically vulnerable people and the spaces they live in, as they can have more difficulties accessing green spaces ( van den Berg et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban green spaces and stress during COVID-19 lockdown: A case study for the city of Madrid

Maury-Mora

Gómez-Villarino

Varela-Martínez

2022

Urban Forestry & Urban Greening

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Due to the unexpected emergence of COVID-19, different cities improvised responses to prevent the virus from spreading and infecting the population. Madrid, capital of Spain and one of the most affected cities in Europe, confined everyone home and closed most public and private spaces, including public parks. The whole situation was surely to be responsible for stress-levels to peak. We developed an online survey to better understand the relationship between people and Urban Green Spaces prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new bond that may have emerged from this interruption. We recruited participants, without gender or age preference, excluding underage children and teenagers, using a combination of convenience sample and a snowball approach. A total of 132 responses were logged. The study was limited to mental health inferences, specifically related to stress and its most frequent manifestations among the urban population. These indicators included physical, mood or behavioral changes and were studied on those participants who had access to UGS before and during confinement. Among the most important findings, we confirmed that when people are confronted with stressful situations, indoor plant interaction is not a substitute for different outdoor green experiences; those who interacted with green spaces in a daily manner managed stress levels better than people who didn’t (but their effects might lose strength over time); and turning to green spaces for comfort during stressful times when you don’t usually do so helps overcome difficult situations. This article contributes to the growing study of green spaces as a means towards improved mental well-being in urban areas.

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Outdoor recreation and nature’s contribution to well-being in a pandemic situation - Case Turku, Finland

Cited by 79 publications

References 60 publications

Greenspace and park use associated with less emotional distress among college students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

Greenspace and park use associated with less emotional distress among college students in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

Stakeholders’ Perceptions on the Role of Urban Green Infrastructure in Providing Ecosystem Services for Human Well-Being

Urban green spaces and stress during COVID-19 lockdown: A case study for the city of Madrid

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