| dc.description.abstract | Research from a variety of scientific fields suggests there to be a positive relationship
between regular physical exercise and psychological health. Similarly, viewing and
interacting with nature has been reported to alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and
depression and improve mood and overall well-being. Various studies have contributed
evidence to support the concept that combining both physical exercise and nature
provide more significant mental well-being benefits, however less in known about how
the effect of this affects the mental well-being of university students who are regular
exercisers. This study aims to address the methodological gap present in existing
research by considering the effect that the prior exercise history of university students
has on the mental well-being outcomes of exercising outdoors in a green environment
versus indoors. This topic is important for informing the design of student well-being
prevention interventions which are currently needed, due to the global decline of
psychological health among undergraduate university students. Participants will be
selected depending on their physical activity levels and exercise history which will be
compared against the UK’s weekly physical activity guidelines. Mental well-being
outcomes will be measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale
(WEMWS) at the beginning and at the end of a green-outdoor and indoor exercise
programme. Intention for future exercise and preference of exercise setting will be
measured using a Likert-scale and open-ended interview questionnaire at the end of the
study. The findings will extend on previous work and demonstrate which type of exercise
setting provides greater mental well-being benefits for an already active university
student population. | en |
