Gender differences in the relationship of mental health, physical activity and nature and green space use for college students
Video Social & Behavioral Sciences 2025 Graduate ExhibitionPresentation by Caellum Crescent
Exhibition Number 527
Abstract
PURPOSE: To examine if nature-based PA (NPA), parks and campus green spaces visits, and nature perceptions were associated with mental health differently for men and women, and if intensity of leisure-time PA (i.e., moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA)) was related to NPA, nature and campus green space engagement. METHODS: Data were collected from a volunteer sample of students via online survey. participants self-reported their demographics (race, gender), nature perceptions (e.g., I enjoy being outside in nature), frequency of parks/campus green spaces visits (0=never, 5=daily), MVPA, NPA, sleep, and mental health outcomes (i.e., stress, depression, resilience, happiness, and psychological wellbeing (PWB)). Linear regression analyses examined the independent association of nature and green space use on mental health and PA separately between men and women. RESULTS: 332 participants were included in the analysis (54% (n=185) women, 75% (n=257) Non-Hispanic White). For men, higher perceptions with nature predicted better sleep quality (F=6.132, B=.22, p=.01), more happiness (F=5.241, B=.19, p=.02), higher resilience (F=10.913, B=.27, p=.001), and higher PWB (F=6.181, B=.18, p=.04). Men who frequented campus green space were more likely to engage in MPA (F=12.586, B=.28, p<.001). For women, higher engagement with nature predicted more happiness (F=4.947, B=.16, p=.03), higher resilience (F=5.589, B=.17, p=.02), higher PWB (F=4.376, B=.15, p=.04) and lower stress (F=4.897, B=-.16, p=.03). CONCLUSION: Universities should consider implementing nature-based initiatives to help improve mental health outcomes and to ascertain if specific programming with nature and campus green use will accommodate individual preferences between genders
Importance
This work contributes to the growing body of literature exploring the benefits provided by spending time outdoors in nature on physical and mental health in college students. Spending time outdoors is a cost-effective way universities can develop programs for, however, understanding how men and women respond to outdoor activity is crucial to creating outdoor based programs accounting for these individual differences. This will allow the impact of outdoor programs to be as efficacious as possible.