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Theory-based approaches to health communication and behavior are increasingly applied to interventions that address poor public tick-borne disease prevention knowledge and practices. We sought to understand the tick-borne disease prevention behaviors among participants in a crowdsourced passive tick surveillance system that employs theory-based messages about tick bite risk and prevention strategies. We administered an electronic survey to a randomly selected sample of passive surveillance system users and compared their responses to those from a nationwide sample of Master Gardeners (MG), a group with heighten tick exposure due to outdoor activity. Over 80% of TickSpotters respondents, and over 75% of MG respondents encountered a tick in the past year. Among both groups, tick checks were the most frequently practiced prevention behavior, with over 70% of people performing them most or all the time after outdoor activity. A greater proportion of MGs used skin repellents such as DEET or picaridin than TickSpotters users, but more than 70% of respondents from both groups reported that they never or only sometimes use permethrin-treatment on clothing, and nearly half of both groups reportedly used no peridomestic tick treatments. TickSpotters respondents overwhelmingly reported recording tick encounter information and saving specimens for identification and testing, while only a small percentage of MGs monitored their tick encounters. These findings suggest that while both TickSpotters and MG groups appear to be practicing some important tick bite prevention behaviors, there remain areas that could benefit from targeted theory-based interventional approaches.

Purpose There is a critical need to explore bariatric patients’ perceptions of existing neighborhood and built environment resources and supports to assist with postoperative behavior change and weight loss maintenance. The objective of this study was to survey postoperative patients to determine neighborhood food retail, fitness facility, and options for outdoor activity access, utilization, satisfaction, and perceptions of resources. Materials and Methods A convenience sample of postoperative patients from a single academic surgical center in the USA (N = 44) completed an online survey about access, utilization, satisfaction, and safety for food retail, fitness facility, and outdoor activity options in their neighborhoods. Analysis included descriptives (frequency, percent, Chi-square), and independent samples t tests and ANOVA determined differences based on race, insurance status, geographic location, and receipt of governmental assistance programs. Open-ended questions were analyzed using summative content analysis. Results Patients reported the highest access to lower-cost national food retailers and fitness facilities. The most prevalent challenge in finding food products to meet patients’ goals was financial (39%). Patients’ top suggestions for fitness facilities included training staff/facilities (59%) and trainers (35%) in postoperative patient care and exercise. The highest access for outdoor activity options was for walking/running trails, city/metro parks, and sidewalks. Significant differences in access, utilization, and safety were found based on geographic location, receipt of at least one assistant program, and race. Conclusion The development of targeted resources may benefit patients in non-suburban areas and who receive governmental assistant programs to increase safety of outdoor options and access to lower-cost food retailers and to increase utilization of lower-cost fitness facilities. Graphical abstract

Older adults with disabilities are very dependent on the physical environment, but evidence concerning outdoor activity-friendly environments is limited. This study developed the functioning and en...

Safety management practices(SMPs) and safety behaviour (SB) prevent accidents and injuries in outdoor activities. The study investigated the relationship between SMPs and SB among outdoor participants. Two hundred and fifty outdoor activity participants were respondents. It administered the Vinodkumar and Bhasi questionnaire to the participants. Most respondents, comprising 49.4% (n=126), participated in outdoor activities once or twice a week. Results showed a moderate relationship between SMPs and SB (r (255) = 0.697, p

Background: Myopia or nearsightedness is a condition in which light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina, resulting in the blurry appearance of distant objects. This can be caused by disturbances in the regulation of eye growth that can be hereditary or coming from the environment, for example from outdoor activities. Based on research in 2017 in Beijing stated that more frequent outdoor activities can reduce the risk of myopia.Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between outdoor activity and myopia in medical students of Andalas University batch 2019.Methods: This is an analytic study with a case-control design through consecutive sampling techniques. The sample consisted of 60 respondents, 30 of them which suffered myopia and another 30 with ametropia. Data was collected using a questionnaire that has been tested for validity. Outdoor activities, namely all activities carried out in the wild or outdoors and exposed to sunlight for approximately three hours per day. The processing of the data was done with a statistical chi-square test.Results: 45% of the respondents with outdoor activity less than three hours have myopia and 5% of respondents with outdoor activity more than three hours have myopia. Statistical chi-square test was performed to see the relationship between outdoor activity and myopia with p-value = 0.001 (p

Background: There is a increase in prevalence and burden of myopia in India, hence extent of myopia awareness among Indian parents is required to prepare future public health initiatives and interventions. Hence a survey was conducted. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the level of myopia awareness among a group of parents based in Vidarbha region of India. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey, 150 parents with at least one child under the age of 16 years participated in the study. Age, gender, educational qualification and number of children were asked, the amount of time a child spends on his device, the acceptable distance between the eyes and device screen, the preventive measures of myopia and awareness of symptoms of myopia in their children were collected via a written questionnaire. Results: Eighty-three participants (55.33%) thought that the safe distance between device screen and eyes was less than 30cms. Fifteen 10% (15/150) participants were aware that outdoor activity and natural light has a preventive effect on myopia and onset and progression. 16.66% (25/150) and 63.33% (95/150) of the participants, respectively, were aware that looking into the distance and taking regular breaks from device use prevent myopia onset and progression. Hundred (66.66%, 100/150) participants reported that regular eye check-ups were important for children. Overall, only 14 participants (9.33%) were aware that all 4 strategies are important for myopia management. Majority of the participants reported that their children spent 2 hours on screen (73.33%,110/150), none of the participants reported study time of 4 hours or more than 4 hrs, 15 participants reported study time of 3 hours (10 percent), 25 participants reported screen time of 1 hour (16.66%). Majority of the participants were not aware of the rule of 20-20-20, looking into the distance in online study and prolonged screen time (73.33%,110/150). Only twenty participants reported headache and tiredness (9.7%) in their children, no other symptoms were recognised. Conclusion: Survey demonstrated a poor level of awareness of protective role of outdoor activity in its onset and progression. Importance of regular eye check-ups and outdoor activity and risks of smart device usage should be included in awareness programs and other health education programs.

Vitamin D deficiency has become a social problem in many countries as modern people’s indoor living time increases and their exposure to natural light shortens. In order to solve this problem, sun exposure is recommended. Outdoor activity guide service is provided by providing accurate UV-related information, while UV lighting technology is being developed in order to provide UV dose to indoor residents. However, these methods have limitations in directly supporting adequate UV doses for those who have difficulty in carrying out outdoor activities, whereas UV lighting does not provide accurate safety information about exposure. In this paper, a UVB-LED special lighting that supports indoor residents to meet a daily recommended UVB dose is proposed. First, the UVB-LED light source that can achieve an optimal UVB dose is selected. Its lighting characteristics are measured and analyzed and then a combination and control condition of the light source that can safely provide UVB dose are derived. After a stand-type lighting equipment considering ease of use is designed, a UVB-LED special lighting that meets the photobiological safety standard of lighting (Risk Group 2) is developed. The expected amount of vitamin D synthesis by distance and use duration is calculated through a performance test for the proposed lighting. The test results show that when the proposed lighting is used at a distance of 20 cm for 33–40 min, the daily recommended vitamin D synthesis can be achieved.

Children, and the adults who are responsible for their education, demonstrate an increasing lack of environmental understanding and knowledge. This is important because the development of societal ...

In today's era of globalization, English competence is an essential aspect for the young generation to collaborate and compete globally. This activity is necessary because students often feel reluctant and insecure when communicating by using English in and outside the campus because they are afraid of making mistakes in pronunciation or grammatically. This community service activity aimed to increase students' motivation and self-confidence in Speaking English through the English BootCamp. English BootCamp is an outdoor activity that aims to give students a new atmosphere through more exciting activities. This activity was attended by 60 students who are the new members of Stikes Banyuwangi English Club. The expected outcome was that the students are more motivated to sharpen their skills and confidence in speaking English even though they majored in medicine. The methods used were games, discussion, songs, role play, and Free Talking. Students are very enthusiastic about joining this program because they provide a new experience with an outdoor atmosphere that is more relaxed, not boring, and not monotonous with various fun activity methods. Students become more courageous and have high self-confidence in Speaking English. They are more active in asking questions about vocabulary/expressions they do not understand, and they show their efforts by being actively involved in every activity. English BootCamp activity can change the students' mindset if Speaking English is not as difficult as imagined. This activity not only increases students' motivation and confidence but also their English skills.

Ski touring on groomed slopes is a relatively new outdoor sport that has steadily been gaining interest. So far, little scientific attention has been given to this outdoor activity. Thus, few questions have been asked about the motivation for practising this sport, and even fewer about whether the current COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the frequency of and motivation for ski touring. For this reason, we conducted a large-scale study (n = 6802) in the Austrian Alps. Results revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed the motive structure for ski touring; however, the findings showed that many people have even started to practice this sport. This research note contributes to the existing knowledge by (a) documenting ski tourers’ motives using a large sample, (b) giving insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this specific outdoor sport, and (c) showing COVID-19-related impacts on practicing ski touring. Management implications • No changes in motivational reasons for ski touring due to COVID-19 pandemic. • Trend towards outdoor sports, especially ski tours on groomed slopes in the alpine region of central Europe. Amplification of the trend due to the pandemic and the associated restrictions. • As an outdoor sport, ski touring on groomed slopes offers versatile added value for ski tourers, but also huge potential for ropeway operators. • This soft slope tourism can also show alternatives to temporary ropeway closures in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and could also promote tourism (especially day tourism) in small circles at the regional level. • The increase in beginners naturally raises the question of whether this group needs special offers or how to deal with beginners on the slopes. On the other hand, this also raises the question of how to deal with the increase in ski slope users in general.

COVID-19 quarantine provides the largest intervention data of myopia progression in schoolchildren. We found grade is an important risk factor, and COVID-19-induced modifications of student’s online time and outdoor activity time sufficiently change myopia progression.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on lifestyle of school-going children. Methods: This was a questionnaire-based prospective study of 1237 school children aged 9-14 years enrolled from various private and government schools across Delhi in October-December 2020. These children were being followed-up over the previous 2 years (before pandemic) with details of their lifestyle like near/outdoor/reading activities using a questionnaire as a part of another study. The data during the COVID-19 lockdown was collected by telephonic interview. This was compared to similar information collected from this cohort in the pre-Covid period in 2019 when the students had a regular physical school curriculum. Results: A significant decline was noted in time spent on outdoor activity (from 8.5 hours/week in pre-COVID-19 time to 1.6 hours/week during COVID-19 lockdown; P < 0.001) and doing homework offline (from 15.3 hour/week to 14 hours/week; P < 0.001). A significant increase was noted in screen time spent on digital devices (from 6.2 hours/week to 19.8 hours/week; P

Adverse incidents during Led Outdoor Activities (LOA) remains an ongoing concern worldwide. This paper provides a systems analysis of adverse incidents in the Australian Led Outdoor Activity (LOA) sector between 2018-2019. Incidents were reported by 18 LOA organisations via the LOA specific Understanding and Preventing Led Outdoor Accident Data System (UPLOADS). UPLOADS is underpinned by Rassmusen’s risk management framework and associated AcciMap method. In total, 2,457 incidents from 357,691 LOA program participation days were reported, with an incident rate of 6.9 incidents per 1000 program participation days. AcciMap analyses of the incidents revealed that there was a total of 5,442 contributory factors with 3,259 relationships between them, from all levels of the LOA system spanning the activity environment to regulatory and government levels. This paper demonstrates that incidents in LOA are systems issues and that prevention of LOA incidents should focus on removing the network of interacting contributory factors.

Background Living at high latitudes is one of the risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in children. However, evidence on vitamin D improvement for this pediatric population to date is limited. This study aims at evaluating the association of different vitamin D intervention methods and outdoor activity on the vitamin D status of children in North China. Methods In this observational study, a total of 55,925 children aged 1 month to 18 years old were recruited from pediatric outpatient departments from July 2016 to June 2017. Data on demographics, anthropometric measurements, vitamin D intervention (either prescribed by physicians or given by parents) and outdoor activity were recorded. The serum levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography tandem–mass spectrometry. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association of vitamin D intervention or outdoor activity with blood vitamin D status, adjusted for age, gender, BMI for age, and seasons. Results The overall rate of hypovitaminosis D was 65.60%. Of the children’s outdoor activity, 35.63, 31.95, and 32.42% were below 30 min/d, 30–60 min/d and over 60 min/d, respectively. Furthermore, the proportion of therapeutic intervention, supplementation intervention and no vitamin D intervention among the children was 16.48, 32.87, and 50.65%, respectively. After adjusted for confounding factors, vitamin D intervention was associated with a lower risk of hypovitaminosis D, with OR (95% CI) of 0.191 (0.180, 0.202) in children with therapeutic doses and 0.423 (0.404, 0.443) in those with supplementation doses, compared with children without vitamin D intervention. In addition, longer outdoor time was associated with a lower risk of hypovitaminosis D [0.479 (0.456, 0.504) for 60 min/d, 0.737 (0.701, 0.776) for 30–60 min/d], independent of vitamin D intervention. Conclusions High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was found in children living at high latitudes. Vitamin D intervention and outdoor activity are all negatively associated with children’s vitamin D deficiency. Routine vitamin D intervention combined with increased outdoor time might be an effective approach to prevent hypovitaminosis D among children, especially those at school, living at high latitudes.

Existing literature has barely explored the role of tourist experiences in the tourism-led migration process. Focusing on surfing-oriented migrants in a coastal municipality, this paper explores th...

Covid-19 pandemic has led to major changes in day -to-day life. Ever since the start of pandemic, there has been a change in working conditions, reduction in physical activity and much increase in anxiety and stress due to disease itself. To deal with the physical and mental health needs of this changing times, it becomes important to maintain healthy life-style and a minimum level of physical activity. The physical activity has been shown to boost the immune system and body’s capacity to fight infections and keep oneself physically and mentally strong. It is helpful for the healthy cardiovascular function which is very important during current pandemic. Though routine exercise and outdoor activity may be restricted due to social distancing norms, still it is important to have modified form of physical activity like stretching, walking, doing household chores and yoga in current scenario. Early start of exercise from school physical education can go a long way to create healthy adults. Keywords : Covid- 19, Physical activity, Mental well- being, Immunity, Exercise

The Beyond Kayaking program is a free, outdoor activity-based, parenting intervention delivered across multiple sessions to vulnerable families in regional South Australia. Current literature on outdoor activity-based interventions have demonstrated improvements in family communication, problem-solving, bonding and trust. However, these studies are mostly based on single session interventions from the United States. This study explored the subjectively reported benefits of a multi-session intervention delivered in an Australian setting including how families perceived their relationships had changed (if at all) through participation in the program. This was accomplished through the use of open-ended, qualitative interviews with 20 parents who participated in the Beyond Kayaking program between 2016 and 2017. Additionally, a one-off focus group with three members of Beyond Kayaking staff was conducted to give context to the research. Thematic analysis of the data identified three dominant themes regarding participants' experiences of the Beyond Kayaking program. The first theme was 'building family capacity' and identified how kayaking produced an environment that helped families to communicate and problem solve together, which improved family understanding overall. The second theme was 'local culture' which discussed how education on local Indigenous culture helped build awareness in non-Indigenous people while helping Indigenous families to connect. The final theme 'support and shared circumstances' discussed the benefits of participants meeting people in similar circumstance, which helped them both improve, and feel better about, their own situation. Importantly, this study demonstrates that learning a new skill while being unsure and vulnerable in front of others strengthens family relationships - thus improving understanding of how activity-based interventions aid families. However, longitudinal research that follows up with participants is needed to better understand the lasting impacts of the improvements witnessed in this research.

In this paper, we introduce a Platform for Non-Intrusive Assistance (named PIANI), as an assistance platform for elderly people able to do activities in outdoor environments without strict supervision. PIANI includes an ontology used to characterize outdoor activities of interest (activities to be observed). PIANI also defines a risk level of the activity that an elderly person is currently doing out of his home by comparing such activity to its characterization. In addition, the proposed platform uses the smartphone of the person in order to collect geographic and time information, which is used by PIANI to infer activity risk and send alert notifications based on semantic knowledge base. An experimental test was developed as a proof of concept about the utilization of PIANI to identify outdoors activities of elderly people, compute a level of risk and finally send non intrusive alert notification to the user.

This feature editorial discusses the role of the interface of sport and tourism in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key concepts are set out as context for discussion under two headings. Under Sports Fixtures and Events: a parochial attitude to cancelling major sports events; the impact of recreated and relived sports events on wellbeing; the response of sports audiences to live sport behind closed doors. Under Activity, Movement and Travel: the appetite and provision for outdoor activity during lockdown, and the role of a sense of movement; the factors that might lead to observed increases in sustainable modes of travel being sustained post-lockdown. Lessons and questions for future research, policy and provision are discussed, and the potential is identified for activities at the interface of sport and tourism to make significant contributions to outcomes and policy goals for wellbeing, physical health, mental health, and in supporting green space and sustainable travel as a response to the climate crisis. A challenge is set for managers, administrators and researchers working at the interface of sport and tourism to look outwards beyond their own development concerns, and recognise and accept both a responsibility and an opportunity to make these contributions. The feature editorial concludes with an invitation for researchers to take up the challenge of submitting research to the Journal of Sport & Tourism that either focuses on the contribution to the COVID-19 response, or that explores contributions that can be made to wider social, economic and health outcomes and policy goals.

One of the outdoor activities or mountaineering activities located in the mountainous region is one form of ecotourism that is much favored by many people, especially young people. Mountain climbing (mountain hiking) is one type of outdoor activity that is often done because there are so many mountains that are spread throughout most of the Indonesian archipelago. To anticipate subjective risks, beginner climbers are encouraged to do mountain climbing in groups, and adjust to the experience and abilities of climbers. This research developed decision support application for determining the best mountain climbing by using the web-based weighted product method. Weighted Product (WP) is a method used to solve the Multi Attribute Decision Making (MADM) problem, namely the method used in finding the most optimal alternative from several optimal alternatives with certain criteria. The application has been completed and is named "Hiking-Yuk!". The result of using the WP method is to display the best recommendations that can be used as material in the consideration and selection of mountains. Recommendations for the future Hiking-Yuk! website can be developed not only in the scope of the East Java, but can be developed for other mountains in other provinces.

Significant declines in outdoor activity and engagement with the natural environment are growing concerns with negative impacts on well-being. We pilot-tested an intervention encouraging outdoor ac...

The degree to which individuals can accomplish outdoor activity by themselves or require support is an important facet of successful aging. While prior research focuses on participation in outdoor activity, understanding of older adults’ outdoor independence is limited. We adopt an ecological approach to examine the role of individual factors and environmental factors in explaining outdoor independence. Our sample comprised older adults aged 65 + living in a medium-sized city in Germany (N = 1070). The results show that being male, younger, and healthier was positively associated with outdoor independence, while living together was not. Further, outdoor independence decreased with higher levels of perceived environmental barriers. This negative association was moderated such that it was stronger for the less healthy and older participants. Based on our empirical findings, we offer insights for policy makers, urban planners, and community groups to design age-friendly communities and consequently facilitate outdoor independence among older adults.

Myopia is refractive abnormality which occurs when eyes are relax and the lights come in parallel, will be refracted at one point in front of the retina. The most significant risk factors for myopia are near work activities. In addition, spending time outdoors has been reported to reduce the risk of developing myopia. The research aimed to identify the differences of Risk Factors of myopia in Medicine student with Student of Physical Education, Medical and Recreation in University of Mulawarman Samarinda. This research was an analytic observasional study with Cross Sectional research design. The research subject were 162 students consisted of 81 Medicine student and 81 Student of Physical Education, Medical and Recreation by using techniques stratified random sampling. Mann Whitney test was used to analyze the result of the research. The results of this research showed that 58 people (71.6%) were female and 19 years old as many as 28 people (34.6%) more commonly found in Medicine student that in Student of Physical Education, Medical and Recreation. The majority of students did near work activities which were not good at 77 people (95,1%) in Medicine student and 74 people (91.4%) in Student of Physical Education, Medical and Recreation. Good outdoor activities were more for Student of Physical Education, Medical and Recreation, which was 74 people (91.4%). 49 people (60.5%) had myopia with mild level as much 41 people (83.7%) in Medicine student. The different test showed a value p=0.350 for near work activities, and p=0.000 for outdoor activities and the frequency of myopia. It can be concluded that there was no difference in near vision activities and there was a difference in outdoor activities and the frequency of myopia on Medicine student with Student of Physical Education, Medical and Recreation in University of Mulawarman Samarinda.

The Internet has the potential to enable older adults to live a socially active and self-determined life. An important facet of active aging is participation in outdoor activity. Previous research ...

To contain the recent COVID-19 outbreak restrictions have been imposed, which has limited outdoor activity. These physical behaviour changes can have serious health implications, but there is little objective information quantifying these changes. This study aimed to estimate the change in physical behaviour levels during full lockdown conditions using objective data collected from a thigh-worn activity monitor. Data used was from 6,492 individuals in the 1970 British Cohort Study, collected between 2016 and 2018. Using walking bout characteristics, days were classified as either "indoor only" (n=861), "indoor and exercise" (n=167) and "outdoor active" (n=31,934). When compared to "outdoor active" days, "indoor only" days had 6,590 fewer steps per day (2,320 vs 8,876, p < 0.001), a longer sedentary time (1.5 hours, p < 0.001), longer lying time (1.4 hours, p < 0.001) and shorter standing (1.9 hours, p < 0.001) and stepping (1.3 hours, p < 0.001) times. The "indoor and exercise" days had a smaller number of steps compared to "outdoor active" (7,932 vs 8,876, p < 0.05). There is a strong relationship between reduced daily stepping, and increased sedentary time, with a range of poor health outcomes. This has important implications for public health policy and messaging during pandemics.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of outdoor activity on myopia progression. Methods: It was a hospital-based longitudinal prospective observational study. Children between 7 and 14 years of age with a myopia of − 0.5 D or worse were included. Myopia progression was evaluated by cycloplegic refraction, every 6 months for 18 months. Parents were asked to record the daily outdoor activity of the child in hours per day at school and at home during weekdays and at weekends separately, based on which the daily outdoor activity score was calculated. The independent variables measured included age and gender of the participant, degree of myopia, and the daily outdoor activity score. Progression of myopia was defined as an increase in the spherical equivalent (SE) over 18 months. The magnitude of the association was determined by two mixed-effects models. Results: A total of 495 participants (250 males and 245 females) completed three visits during the study period. On taking age groups and paired observations as a random effect and adding SE at the last visit as the random slope in Model 1, each unit increase in outdoor activity had a negative effect on change in SE of − 0.01 (−0.02 to 0.00; P = 0.045). The same inverse relationship between outdoor activity and absolute SE as − 0.06 (−0.07 to − 0.03; P < 0.001) is estimated in Model 2. Conclusion: The study demonstrates a statistically significant inverse relationship between outdoor activity and myopia.

The urban green space (UGS) is essential for characterizing urban spatial configurations, ecological properties and environmental conservation. Thus, the urban green space is fundamental to urban planning management and renewal. UGS is mainly composed of park green areas, which are the public service facility providing people with outdoor activity spaces, so that UGS has a great impact on the protection of residents’ mental and physical health. Therefore, the reasonable layout of urban green space is of great significance. In this study, we took central area of Chongqing City as an example to study the accessibility of urban green spaces using very-high-resolution (VHR) remote sensing images by the network analysis model. The result showed that (1) both the spatial distribution information of urban green spaces and road network can be presented to provide urban-function information using VHR; (2)the accessible service area of urban green spaces in the study area accounted for 27.80% within 45 minutes;(3) and the equity of accessibility of UGS in Yuzhong District was the best.The accessibility analysis of urban green spaces is the basis of sustainable urban Planning.

Growing evidence suggests that connection to nature may be linked to mental health and well-being. Behavioral changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively affect adolescents’ connection to nature, subsequently impacting health and well-being. We explored the relationship between connection to nature and well-being before and during the pandemic through a nationally representative survey of adolescents across the United States (n = 624) between April and June 2020. Survey items focused on connection to nature, mental well-being, and participation in outdoor activities before and during the pandemic. Paired-sample t-tests revealed declines in connection to nature, mental well-being, and participation in outdoor activities during the pandemic. Multiple linear regression analyses examining connection to nature’s mediating role between outdoor activity participation and mental well-being indicated that connection to nature fueled higher levels of mental well-being at both time intervals. Z scores comparing connection to nature’s mediating role between outdoor activity participation and mental well-being between time intervals indicate that during the pandemic, the direct effect of outdoor activities on mental well-being increased, generating a greater impact than before the pandemic. This study illustrates how the health and well-being benefits associated with adolescents’ outdoor activities are reinforced when those activities also foster a stronger connection to nature.

In recent years, the interest in the relationship between urban green space and residents’ mental health has gradually risen. A number of researchers have investigated the causal relationship and possible mediators between the two, although few have summarized these mediators. For this reason, we searched for relevant studies and filtered them by criteria and quality score, and analyzed the mediators and paths of the impact of urban green space on residents’ mental health. The mediators can be divided into environmental factors, outdoor activity, and social cohesion. From the perspective of heterogeneity, both individual characteristics (e.g., age and gender) and group characteristics (e.g., level of urban development and urban density) of residents are considered to be the cause of various mediating effects. Types of urban green space tend to affect residents’ mental health through different paths. Furthermore, this review discusses the details of each part under the influence paths. Finally, the policy implications for urban green space planning from three mediator levels are put forward based on an analysis of the situation in different countries.

Background: Provided that COVID-19 pandemic has led to mental wellbeing disorders for city dwellers, and given that there is a significant association between outdoor activities and mental health, this paper investigated how the frequency of walking during the pandemic contributes to the immediate and subsequent ‘mood’. Methods: A longitudinal data collection method was adopted to verify the ‘mood’ of the participants before and after walking. The survey was conducted with 100 participants in a walking path in Shiraz, Iran, on Jan 2021. The quantitative analysis methods were performed in SPSS to examine the mental wellbeing outcomes of walking in the outdoor walking path when considering the psychological impacts of the pandemic and the quan-tity. Results: The result affirms the positive contribution of walking in the improvement of mental-wellbeing-mood during the pandemic;though, such a mood boost is in a direct relationship with the quantity of the activity with-in a week. Moreover, other factors can play a significant role, including the ‘mood before walking’, and the age of the participants. Conclusion: It is likely that encouraging people to consider walking as their routine activity can lead to several positive consequences on mental wellbeing since walking as a basic outdoor activity during the pandemic can contribute on the mood. . © 2021, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.

Seniors face many challenges in their daily activities regarding mobility and accessibility. We have designed and prototyped a system of networked public displays to support them, particularly regarding outdoor pedestrian navigation. This article describes the process and results of a qualitative evaluation of this prototype system, which was conducted with seven participants, a mixture of older adults and experts on geriatric care. Based on insights gained from these interviews, we provide guidance on the design of outdoor activity support systems for seniors.

Simple Summary The aim of the study was to determine the nature and causes of direct contact between a wolf and domestic dog during different forms of human recreation. The results are crucial for reducing human–nature conflicts and for education. Thanks to this study, we conclude that humans are responsible for reducing the risk of direct contact between these two canine species. The risk of interaction between wolves and a dog that is with a human depends on the distance between the dog and its owner, the number of wolves, and the size of the dog. Hunting with a dog poses a seven times greater risk of interaction with wolves compared to recreational walking. Abstract As a result of species protection in Poland, wolves now appear in places that are attractive for human recreation, increasing their exposure to dogs. This creates a risk of spontaneous direct interactions between these two canine species. Aggressive interactions between the gray wolf and the domestic dog lead to human–large predator conflicts. This study examined wolf–dog interactions using data collected in an online questionnaire and included questions related to factors that might influence the likelihood of interactions between these canines. One of the most important factors affecting the likelihood of interaction between a dog and a wolf was the distance between the dog and the human. The number of wolves was also important—the more wolves, the more likely they were to interact with dogs. The risk of interaction also significantly increases with decreasing distance to human settlements. There were also statistical differences in terms of the type of outdoor activity being engaged in. Hunting was seven times more likely to result in a wolf–dog interaction than normal walk. We postulate that the choices made by the human (dog control and type of recreation) caring for the dog are an important factor that can reduce the risk of direct contact between dogs and wolves.

Running has become one of the most popular recreational sports worldwide. It is an easily accessible form of exercise as there are minimal equipment and sport structure requirements. Aerodynamic simulation experiments showed a risk of droplet exposure between runners when two people run in a straight line at a close distance (slipstream). Thus, running activities require a safe physical distance of 10 meters to avoid droplet exposure, which can be a source of transmission of COVID-19 infection. However, running outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic is still often done in pairs and even in groups without wearing a mask. Open window theory stated that changes in the immune system occur immediately after strenuous physical activity. Many immune system components showed adverse changes after prolonged strenuous activity lasting more than 90 minutes. These changes occurred in several parts of the body, such as the skin, upper respiratory tract, lungs, blood, and muscles. Most of these changes reflected physiological stress and immunosuppression. It is thought that an “open window” of the compromised immune system occurs in the 3–72-hour period after vigorous physical exercise, where viruses and bacteria can gain a foothold, increasing the risk of infection, particularly in the upper respiratory tract. Outdoor physical activity positively affects psychological, physiological, biochemical health parameters, and social relationships. However, this activity requires clear rules so that the obtained benefits can be more significant while simultaneously minimizing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection.

The time older people spend on various daily activities is critical for their health and well-being. New generations of older adults are increasingly expected to participate in ‘active’ activities. We explore shifts in active time use among upcoming cohorts of older people in Sweden. Recognizing the diverging meanings associated with the active ageing concept, we develop a classification model comprising the spheres of work, social engagement, and active leisure. We observe differences in time use of the ‘older middle-aged’ (pre-retirement), ‘young old’, and ‘older old’ observed in 2000/2001 and 2010/2011. We draw on two cross sections of Swedish time-use survey data covering 120 activities related to people’s everyday lives. We measure between-cohort differences in mean time use and employ covariate analysis to control for the influence of group-wise changes in socio-demographics. Linear regression is used to explore social differentiation, e.g. the influence of gender. Comparisons between new and previous generations indicate substantial increases in overall active ageing activity: increases by 7 h per week among the older old and 3.5 h among the young old and older middle-aged. New generations spend more time on work, paid or unpaid, and leisure digital interaction; for some, this is counteracted by less free time spent on social engagement. The new generation of the older old group spends more time on outdoor activity and exercise. These time-use patterns are gendered and dependent on education, mainly due to changes in cohort composition.

In communities, outdoor activity space is utilized most often by older adults and children, and the soundscape is very important for its quality. For different community planning modes, such as gated and open communities, focus should be on different soundscape enhancement strategies for outdoor spaces. In this paper, typical samples of activity spaces in a gated community and in an open community were used. The comparison was conducted through soundscape evaluation including an analysis of the dominance of various sound sources, noise annoyance, and the perceptual dimensions of soundscape. The results showed that noise annoyance in the gated community was significantly lower than in the open community, although the noise level was of no significance between the two communities. The community planning mode moderated the relationships among the soundscape perception parameters between the gated and open communities. To reduce noise annoyance in the gated communities, each sound source should be considered; in open communities, traffic noise only should be considered. In a gated community, adding natural sounds to reduce noise annoyance may be a feasible intervention; in an open community, this is not necessary. Besides, there was no relationship between noise annoyance and Eventfulness in an open community, indicating that noise annoyance was insufficient to explain the complex sound environment of the community. China’s community planning will gradually shift from a gated community to an open community, making the soundscape of outdoor activity spaces likely to change dramatically in the future. The findings will help urban designers and managers to adopt targeted strategies to improve the soundscape and quality of life of community-dwelling older adults and children.

Background: The Get Outside: After School Activity Program (GO-ASAP) exemplifies how a rural community can utilize its natural resources and community partnerships to promote adolescent health. Methods: A qualitative descriptive inquiry was conducted using convenience sampling. Data were collected from students (n = 13/2018; n = 13/2019) via focus group and art-based method (2018 only) and parent (n = 6/2018) focus group. Data were analyzed via qualitative content analysis using the applied theoretical frameworks of Social Cognitive Theory and Social Determination Theory. Results: (1) Increasing Health-Related Competencies. Students increased their physical activity, improved their sleep, perceived less stress, and reported changes in dietary habits and electronic use. (2) Increasing Social Relatedness. Students made new friends, felt more connected, and spent less time home alone after school. (3) Increasing Autonomy and Intrinsic Motivation. Students recognized their emerging capabilities, and their increased confidence stimulated more action-oriented behavior. Parent-perceived changes support and mirror student reports. Conclusion: Outdoor, nature-based, activity programs are a novel upstream approach to promote adolescent health, especially in rural communities where natural resources often exceed health-service resources and community partnerships are a way of life.

In 2010, The National Association of Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) began a summer program to develop leadership in kinesiology professionals. The Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) was...

The modern way of life, with its technical and technological advances, is increasingly alienating man from the real primordial value of nature and its laws. Spending time in nature has many positive effects in terms of health and hygiene, psycho-social well-being, sports and recreation, and education. The aim of this research was to determine the attitudes of teachers towards summer camps as a form of extra-curricular activities. The research included 62 primary school teachers from four primary schools on the territory of Belgrade. Non-experimental research was the applied method, and a survey designated for this purpose was the research technique. Based on the obtained results, we can conclude that a significant number of the respondents have organized some form of outdoor activity, but only 1% of the respondents have organized camping for their pupils. As many as 87% of teachers view camping as an activity that can greatly influence pupils' physical and mental development, which is the practical value of this work. The results indicate the need for a systematic, organized stay in the nature as an extracurricular activity.

Although every facility have negative and positive outcomes. Similarly social media is now playing very important role in human life. But to the other side there is also many dark impact. In this research it is tried to conclude how social media is affecting human life and what are the consequences human health is facing. The addiction of social media is similar to drug addiction. Earlier few years back the access of social media was limited to personal computers or laptops. But now a days through mobile phones everyone connect himself 24 hours with social media. Specially the addiction of social media use is affecting youngsters life style and they start doing abnormal behavior when ever a notification bell rings in mobile device or his/her laptop. Even they are not interested in doing any outdoor activity. Such as outdoor games, physical activity games ets. Even the worst thing is the youth started playing games like ludo, snakes ladder or other physical activitiy games on mobile and connected to friends via social media only. So in order to overcome the parents should counsil their children and youngster. They should motivate them to do some other activities rather than spending whole day in virtual world. In this research such issues and impact of social media on youngsters are discussed and it is tried to findout the points how to overcome with this addiction.

Background Injury and incident (near miss) prevention is heavily dependent upon robust and high-quality data systems. Evaluations of surveillance systems designed to report factors associated with incidents and injuries are essential to understand their value, as well as to improve their performance and efficiency. Despite, this there have been few such evaluations published in the peer-review literature. Methods The attitudes and experiences of industry representatives who used one of two variants of an incident and injury surveillance system to collect injury and incident data for the led outdoor activity setting were obtained through an online self-report survey following a 12-month trial. Survey respondents were 18 representatives of 33 organisations who were users of a comprehensive incident reporting and surveillance system – the Understanding and Preventing Led Outdoor Accidents Data System Software Tool (UPLOADS-ST) - and six out of 11 users of a modified system (UPLOADS-Lite). The survey collected information on user experiences in relation to system training, accessibility, ease of use, security, feedback and perceived value to the sector of collating and reporting data across organisations. Findings Only four UPLOADS-ST responding users found the system easy to use and just three considered entering incident reports to be easy. However, many considered the training on reporting incidents to be sufficient and that the incident reports contained relevant details. Fewer than half of respondents (seven for UPLOADS-ST, three for UPLOADS-Lite) believed entering data was a good use of staff time and resources. Nonetheless, a majority of respondents (seven for UPLOADS-ST, five for UPLOADS-Lite) found the reporting format easy to read and felt the information provided was useful for their organisation. Conclusions Usability barriers to incident reporting were identified, particularly for UPLOADS-ST, including time constraints and user friendliness. The majority of users believed aggregating and reporting incident and injury data across organisations would be of value in making the led outdoor activity sector safer. Improving the utility of the surveillance systems will assist in ensuring their sustainability in the led outdoor activity sector.

AIM To investigate the associations between self-reported hearing loss and outdoor activity limitations, psychological distress and self-reported memory loss among older people. METHODS We carried out a cross-sectional study using the data from the 2016 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in Japan. The study population included people aged ≥65 years living at home, without a clinical diagnosis of dementia. The exposure of interest was self-reported hearing loss, whereas outcomes included outdoor activity limitations (Yes/No), psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale score of ≥5) and self-reported memory loss (Yes/No). We carried out logistic regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, educational status, number of household members, household expenditure and number of clinical diagnoses requiring outpatient visits. RESULTS Among 137 723 older people (mean age 74.5 years [standard deviation 7.4 years], 45.1% men), 12 389 (9.0%) reported hearing loss. People with hearing loss showed a higher prevalence of outdoor activity limitations (28.9% vs 9.5%, P

The purpose of the study was to explore how fixed and modifiable family, activity, and school factors affect a student’s myopia risk and severity. We used national cross-sectional data from Taiwanese children in Grades 4–6. Bivariate and multivariate analyses, including logistic and ordinary least squares regression, examined factors related to children’s myopia status and severity. Age, parent myopia, and school district were associated with risk of myopia. One hour or more per day of near work ( OR = 1.26) increased the odds of myopia. The same amount of time in outdoor activities ( OR = 0.85) or moderate or vigorous physical activities ( OR = 0.82) was associated with lower risk. Near work (β = 0.06), outdoor activity (β = −0.04), and outdoor recess (β = −0.03) predicted myopia severity. To promote healthy vision, nurses should advocate for and implement interventions that increase school children’s time outdoors and in physical activities and reduce their time on near work.

This study generally aims to determine the relationship of outdoor activity with Scene Settings in Elementary School Science Learning PGSD University Students Cokroaminoto Palopo. This research is a quantitative research. The research model used in this study is the correlational model. This research hypothesis was tested using two-way analysis of variance (ANAVA). The sample of this study was PGSD University Cokroaminoto Palopo University. The results of this study indicate that: (1) there is a positive relationship between outdoor activities and scene settings (2) there is a positive positive relationship between outdoor activities and scene settings in science learning of PGSD students at Cokroaminoto Palopo University.

From a joint temporal and socio-spatial perspective, we examine how young people’s everyday lives integrate with the use of digital media. Conceptually, we complement a standard displacement approach by advancing the role of time-space priorities, time elasticities, and online/offline intersections. We use micro-level data concerning youth aged 15–24 years from the Swedish Time-Use Survey, 2010–2011. Using covariate analysis, we compare heavy, medium, and light digital media users on weekdays and weekends. The results contradict expectations of a homogenous group of ‘digital natives’, also showing that heavy use is still gendered. Heavy users generally spend more time at home, perform more activities alone, and travel less. Heavy use is associated with less time spent on outdoor activity and sports, socializing offline, and watching TV, and more time sleeping at night. Digital media use is highly elastic to available free time on weekdays, but is very differently prioritized on weekends.

Research on outdoor comfort generally focuses on the thermal sensation as a substitute for actual comfort. The assessment of outdoor comfort, however, is complex in nature because it involves various contextual settings in open spaces, individuals' social demographics, and psychological factors. In contributing to the existing literature, this study attempts to extend the modelling framework of outdoor comfort assessment by incorporating physical microclimate, spatial contexts, social demographics and individuals' subjective perceptions, expectations and preferences. A path analysis is conducted to capture the direct and indirect effects of various factors on comfort using the data collected in a field experiment. Results show that the causal dependency, which is normally simplified in existing studies, can be better illustrated with the indirect effects through mediators. The use of objective indicators and individuals’ subjective factors are fundamental to adequately capture the actual comfort in urban public spaces.

It is necessary to expose university students to certain science or engineering related courses in Technology Management programme, irrespective of their backgrounds. Teachers and learners are frequently faced with challenges in the teaching and learning process due to insufficient exposure. Consequently, this article therefore investigates the impact of using learning object and learning activity on non-science students’ understanding of science concepts. An experiment was conducted by making use of two groups of students in Technology Management programme in a Malaysian university. The first group was not involved in any outdoor activities related to the concepts of speed, distance, and displacement while the second group was fully involved in outdoor activities related to the aforementioned concepts. The performances of both groups were compared at the end of the semesters. The descriptive statistics and analysis of variance revealed that students in the second group performed better than the students in the first group. A significant difference in the performance of the two groups was also emphasized by the analysis of variance. The findings therefore imply that the engagement of students with relevant learning objects or activities has high possibility of enhancing their understanding and facilitating knowledge transfer.

Graphical abstract, The aim of this study was to estimate the weekly time-weighted (outdoor and indoor activity patterns) individual exposure to particulate air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1) of pregnant women. A total of 4928 pregnancy women were recruited during their early pregnancy, and 4278 (86.8%) were successfully followed-up at childbirth. Each individual weekly average PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations at the residential and workplace addresses from three months before pregnancy to childbirth was estimated using a spatiotemporal land use regression (ST-LUR) model, and the weekly PM1 concentration was estimated employing a generalized additive model (GAM) which utilized weekly PM2.5 and meteorological factors as independent predictors. Then, the time-weighted individual exposure to particulate air pollutants during workdays and non-workdays during the period from three months before pregnancy to childbirth was estimated based on the estimated weekly air pollutant concentrations and each participant’s indoor and outdoor activity model, respectively. Data analysis was carried out by R software (version 3.5.1) and packages “SpatioTemporal”, “mgcv” and “splines” were mainly used. This method takes a full consideration of indoor and outdoor activity patterns in the individual exposure to particulate air pollutants. • A ST-LUR model was used to estimate the individual weekly average PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations at their residential and workplace addresses. • A GAM was applied to estimate the weekly average PM1 concentration at individual residential and workplace addresses. • Individual weekly exposure to particulate air pollutants during workdays and non-workdays was assessed based on the estimated particulate air pollutant concentrations and their indoor and outdoor activity model.

Mobility in older adults is associated with better quality of life. However, evidence suggests that older people spend less time out-of-home than younger adults. Traditional methods for assessing mobility have serious limitations. Wearable technologies provide the possibility of objectively assessing mobility over extended periods enabling better estimates of levels of mobility to be made and possible predictors to be explored. Eighty-six community dwelling older adults (mean age 79.8 years) had their mobility assessed for one week using GPS, accelerometry and self-report. Outcomes were: number of steps, time spent in dynamic outdoor activity, total distance travelled and total number of journeys made over the week. Assessments were also made of personal, cognitive, psychological, physical and social variables. Four regression models were calculated (one for each outcome). The models predicted 32 to 43% of the variance in levels of mobility. The ability to balance on one leg significantly predicted all four outcomes. In addition, cognitive ability predicted number of journeys made per week and time spent engaged in dynamic outdoor activity, and age significantly predicted total distance travelled. Overall estimates of mobility indicated step counts that were similar to those shown by previous research but distances travelled, measured by GPS, were lower. These findings suggest that mobility in this sample of older adults is predicted by the ability to balance on one leg. Possible interventions to improve out-of-home mobility could target balance. The fact that participants travelled shorter distances than those reported in previous studies is interesting since this high-functioning subgroup would be expected to demonstrate the highest levels.