Mental Health Disorders
Mental health disorders are the third leading cause of years lived with disability, with a global prevalence of greater than 10% (James et al., 2018). The lifetime prevalence for major depressive disorders in the general population in the United States has increased during the past 25 years and is estimated to be 20.6% (Hasin et al., 2018). Generalised anxiety disorder is also a relatively common mental health problem with a lifetime prevalence of 5.7% (Kessler et al., 2005).
Physical Activity & quality of life
Physical inactivity has detrimental effects and is considered a leading risk factor for global mortality and morbidity rates of non-communicable diseases, negative influences on mental well-being, and poor quality of life, (World Health Organization, 2020)
Moreover, physical inactivity could be a cause of increased burden of chronic health conditions, which leads to higher annual health care expenditure, (Katzmarzyk PT, et al., 2000).
Accumulated evidence suggests that physical activity may be as effective as psychological and pharmacological treatments for depression and anxiety (Cooney et al., 2013;Stubbs et al., 2017). Organisations including the UK National Institute of Clinical Excellence and World Health Organisation advocate physical activity as a strategy to help tackle mental ill health (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2020; World Health Organisation, 2019), and recent years have seen the promulgation of so-called ‘social prescribing’ in which people may be referred or self-refer to non-medical interventions including participation in physical activity.
Nature nowadays
Currently one may observe increasing distancing of the human being from nature of which he used to be an integral part, caused by the development of civilization. In consequence, a relatively small part of the human population uses health-improving values of nature to regenerate vital forces, including the filtration of contamination and noise, as well as the production of anti-microbial organic aerosols (Pa ´nczyk, W., 1999).
The trend of distancing from the natural world results in the resignation from natural environments as a place of recreation in favour of enclosed spaces, swimming pools, salt spa, sauna, body building gyms, bowling centers, billiards rooms or gymnasiums, which tend to be increasingly popular particularly in the fall-winter season, (Pasek, M.,et al.. (2020). t despite the increasing transformation of the natural environment due to human intervention, the awareness of the need to have a physical contact with nature is still high (Groenwegen, P.P.; et al., 2006). This is also achieved through physical activity (PA) in outdoor natural environments.
Green Exercise
The influence of the environmental setting in which physical activity takes place on psychological health outcomes has also received considerable research interest in recent years. Specifically, research has investigated whether physical activity while simultaneously exposed to elements of the natural environment, sometimes termed ‘green exercise’ (Pretty et al., 2005), might be more beneficial to psychological outcomes than physical activity in other types of manmade or synthetic environments such as indoor gyms.
Green physical activities (GPA) or green exercises (GE) are defined as any form of physical activity (PA) or exercise that takes place in urban green spaces like parks and campuses maintained by people with minimal human upkeep (MacKay GJ, Neill JT. 2010).
Benefits of exercising outdoors
The last decade has seen a growing number of studies evidencing the health and wellbeing benefits of ‘green exercise’ (GE; being physically active within a natural environment or greenspace), which provides greater physical and mental health benefits than physical activity (PA) or nature contact alone [1–8]. GE reduces stress, depression and blood pressure, increases self-esteem, mood and wellbeing, and enhances heart rate variability. Wellbeing is important to health because it increases life expectancy, improves recovery from illness and is associated with positive health behaviours. (Lamers, S.M.; et al., 2012, De Neve, J.E.; et al., 2013).
Time spent in natural outdoor environments has been found to lead to increases in cognition similar to those resulting from acute exercise. Therefore, the benefts of both exercise and nature exposure suggest an additive impact on brain function when both factors are combined (Boere, K.,et al. 2023).
Nature impact on humans
The impact of the natural environment on the human psyche is indisputable, with evidence of positive effects on mental health, life satisfaction, and personality development. Nature-based therapies, outdoor activities, and early exposure to nature can contribute to increased well-being and the development of positive personality traits such as empathy and environmental awareness, ( Guo, Q. 2024).
medium-term GE interventions can play an important role in facilitating wellbeing Rogerson, M., et al., (2020).
Nature-based intervantions (NBIs), specifically gardening, green exercise and nature-based therapy, are effective for improving mental health outcomes in adults, including those with pre-existing mental health problems (Coventry,P.A. et al. 2021).
The most common outcome or effect is the improvements of psychological health and wellbeing of individuals. Moreover, nature-based interventions which are incorporated with GPA effectively develop mental health in a positive manner, and these programs play a significant role in behavioural change of people towards active engagement of GPA to enhance their quality of life. (Liyanage, O., et al., 2023).
Conclusion
Based on the studies, the following conclusions have been drawn. Students who participated in PE classes that were usually conducted in the open air were distinguished by :
1. better physical fitness than their peers doing outdoor exercise to a smaller extent;
2. Significant improvement in the legs power and speed in the case of students taking part in the two-year experiment; the most clear changes in physical fitness of the subjects were observed in the case of endurance, which suggests the stimulating influence of outdoor PE lessons on this aspect of their fitness;
3. Outdoor physical education classes should prepare students for a skilful use of natural sites in their intermediate surroundings to take up physical activity. Physical education teachers should encourage and prepare students for lifelong physical activity by providing the ability to take part in systematic and active leisure in the open air, which is conducive to developing physical fitness and endurance, and thus health. Pasek, M., et al., (2020).
Outdoor activity in nature improves mental health more than outdoor activity in urban environments. These findings have important implications for urban planning and green social prescribing for mental health, (Wicks, C., et al. 2022).
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