Outdoor Activity Associated with Higher Self-Reported Emotional Well-Being During COVID-19

M Pilar Fernandez; Kacey C Ernst; Gebbiena M Bron; Kevin Berry; Maria A Diuk-Wasser; Mary H Hayden

doi:10.1007/s10393-022-01598-4

Outdoor Activity Associated with Higher Self-Reported Emotional Well-Being During COVID-19

Ecohealth. 2022 Jun;19(2):154-158. doi: 10.1007/s10393-022-01598-4. Epub 2022 Jun 10.

Authors

M Pilar Fernandez^{1

2

3}, Kacey C Ernst⁴, Gebbiena M Bron⁵, Kevin Berry⁶, Maria A Diuk-Wasser², Mary H Hayden⁷

Affiliations

¹ Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
² Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
³ Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona, Arizona, AZ, USA.
⁵ Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
⁶ College of Business and Public Policy, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA.
⁷ Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS, 4863 North Nevada Avenue, Fourth floor, Colorado Springs, CO, 80918, USA. mhayden@uccs.edu.

Abstract

Shifts in activity patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic might have impacted the benefits of outdoor activities for mental health. By leveraging an existing mobile application, we collected self-reported data on daily outdoor activities, emotional well-being, and the influence of COVID-19 on participant's outdoor activity levels during April-July 2020. Individuals reporting outdoor activities, in greenspaces or in their residence, had higher well-being scores and this effect increased with age. Self-reported impacts of COVID-19 on emotional well-being were associated with lower well-being scores. This work suggests that outdoor activities may have improved mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Mental health; Outdoor activities; Well-being.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Housing
Humans
Pandemics
Self Report

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding