Physical Activity, nature and mental wellness: a systematic review
Abstract
The results of the last systematic review published ten years ago suggest an increase of emotional wellbeing associated to exercise in nature compared to indoor spaces. The aim of this current systematic review is to update the search since 2011 and analyze its impact on the development of mental well-being. A systematic review was carried out using the following bases: PubMed, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library and PEDro with the keywords: "physical exercise", "green exercise", "outdoor", "wellbeing", "quality of life", "emotional benefits”, “psychological effects” and “randomized controlled trial”. Inclusion criteria were: experimental studies comparing both scenarios, in the adult population, published between January 2011 and June 2020 and in English or Spanish. Non-experimental designs were excluded. Two researchers selected the articles independently and extracted data using a previously designed protocol, including the PEDro scale to analyze study quality. Eight studies with 9 analyses units (320 participants) were identified. A high variability was identified in the interventions (walking, running, cycling, muscle strength training and dancing) and the measures analyzed. Exercise in natural environments was associated with increased positive emotions and positive affect, decreased negative affect and stress-related physiological responses, increased attention, energy, satisfaction, and future commitment and intention to exercise. The results suggest that exercise in nature could have more positive effects on well-being than similar activities in an indoor environment.
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