The health and well-being impacts of outdoor recreation - study on urban youth

Academy Research Fellow project

As a result of urbanization our way of life has become physically more passive. The level of unstructured physical activity has decreased among children and youth while time spent on computers and other digital devices has increased. More and more young people suffer from obesity which may lead to chronical diseases. In addition, allergies, asthma, and autoimmune diseases have increased in urbanized societies. Diminishing everyday contact with nature has reduced our exposure to microbes needed for the natural development of human immune systems. Furthermore, contacts with nature increase human well-being. This study examines how interacting with nature affects the health and well-being of young urban people. Three outdoor activities have been selected for comparison: playing outdoor mobile game, geocaching, and hiking. The aim is to identify attractive and efficient solutions to increase the opportunities to gain health and well-being benefits from interaction with nature.