Physical, psychological and emotional effects of nature-based affordances of green physical activity

Physical inactivity and mental disorders are considered to be two urgent health challenges and strongly associated with non-communicable diseases in today's highly urbanised society (World Health Organization, 2010a). Green Physical Activity (PA) is suggested to be a tangible means to effectively promote physical health and mental wellbeing for urban residents (Pretty, 2004). In order to increase the probability of application for a wider urban population, this thesis focused on the first level of green PA (viewing nature indoors) for designing indoor PA environment. Lacking an appropriate underpinning theoretical framework, the ecological dynamics theory was proposed to guide the experimental setting and offer theoretical explanations. The aim was to examine the experience and effects of nature-based affordances for green PA. A theory-guided PA setting was created to examine varying richness of nature-based information (dynamic or static images, presence of visual-only or visual-acoustic information, single or multiple videos) with qualitative and quantitative data collected and compared to a more representative PA environment in three studies. The same physical measurements were made in all PA conditions, including heart rate, estimates of energy expenditure, speed, distance and rated perceived exertion. Responses to two questionnaires for psychological and emotional assessments were recorded, along with follow-up interviews with a sub-sample of participants in each study. In Study 1, three PA conditions that were designed included: two types of visual-only nature information (involving a dynamic and a static nature image) and use of self-selected entertainment to examine the physical, psychological and emotional effects and experiences of participants. A group of 30 individuals with diverse demographic backgrounds were recruited (mean ± SD: age 27.5 ± 9 years; mass 67.6 ± 11.1 kg; stature 173.7 ± 8.2 cm; BMI 22.2 ± 2.1) and completed all trials. Sixteen participants of the same group took part in follow-up interviews. Findings suggested that the appropriateness of nature information for treadmill running was vital for PA quality and experience because strong engagement with the dynamic image had positive and negative effects. Study 2 explored further the significance of the dynamic images effects on participants during physical activity. Another two types of nature information were investigated with increasing richness of information resources (a collection of ten short dynamic images with and without sounds) compared to an audio-only self-selected entertainment using the same measurements. A mixed-background group of 24 participants were recruited (mean ± SD: age 30 ± 6.9 years; mass 68.1 ± 10.7 kg; stature 172.0 ± 8.6 cm; BMI 23.0 ± 2.9) and completed all trials. Eight participants took part in follow-up interviews. Results indicated that personal preferences and the diversity of nature information presented in the dynamic images were proposed to be influential factors to when designing indoor PA environment. In both studies, running with diverse nature videos with sound was found to provide the most beneficial PA environment for a bout of running for 20-minutes. A preliminary study (Study 3) was performed to examine whether these effects might last for an extended period of time. Participant experiences were investigated when undertaking PA with multiple nature videos (9 participants) or with self-selected music (6 participants) over a longer experimental period (6 weeks). All 15 participants completed the follow-up interviews. No physical performance differences were observed, but the nature group reported greater psychological benefits and the music group reported that they received emotional benefits improvement. In terms of experience, participants developed their personally-favoured PA behaviours over time when running with rich and diverse nature-based information but no such observation was found in the music group. Overall, this programme of research endorses the benefits of green PA designed for an indoor environment between one to six weeks. Findings suggested that the essential considerations included the diversity of nature information a used in dynamic displays, with inclusion of nature sounds. Results highlighted that personal preferences of nature information are important when designing green PA programmes for promoting physical health and mental wellbeing

The Volcanic Earthquake Swarm of October 20, 2009 in the Tatun Area of Northern Taiwan

On October 20, 2009, a series of felt earthquakes with local magnitudes ranging from 2.8 - 3.2 occurred in the Tatun volcanic area off the northern tip of Taiwan. Although there was no damage caused by those earthquakes, many residents in the Taipei metropolitan area, particularly for people who live near the Yangminshan National Park, felt strong ground shaking. In order to know what the possible mechanisms were that generated those earthquakes, we carefully examined seismic data recorded by a dense seismic array in the Tatun volcanic area. During the period between October 18 and 22, 2009 we detected at least 202 micro-earthquakes. Most of the earthquakes were relocated using the double-difference method and were clustered in the shallow crust beneath the Dayoukeng area, which is the strongest fumarole in the Tatun volcanic area. Among these earthquakes, 72 focal mechanisms were determined by polarizing the first P-wave motion. Most earthquakes belonged to normal faulting. An extremely high b-value of 2.17 was obtained from those earthquakes. Based on the seismic variations in both the temporary and spatial distribution as well as an extremely high b-value, we conclude that the earthquake sequence on October 20, 2009 was a typically seismic swarm associated with possible active volcanism in the Tatun volcanic area

Designing physical activity environments to accrue physical and psychological effects

Understanding how best to accrue benefits from designing physical activity and exercise programmes is needed to tackle global health problems related to physical inactivity and poor mental health. Some studies have implicated an important role for green exercise and physical activity, but there is a lack of clarity in current research. Therefore, more work is needed to understand how to design green physical activity and exercise environments that afford (invite) physical and psychological benefits to individuals. We examined whether exercising while viewing a dynamic or static image of a scene from nature would offer different affordances (invitations for behaviours to emerge), compared to the common conditions of self-selected entertainment. For this purpose, 30 participants (18 males and 12 females; age 27.5 ± 9 yrs; mass 67.6 ± 11.1 kg; stature 173.7 ± 8.2 cm) exercised in three experimental conditions in a counterbalanced design while: (i) viewing a video of a green environment, (ii) viewing a single static image of the green environment; and (iii), when using typical self-selected entertainment without viewing images of nature. A twenty-minute treadmill run was undertaken at the participants’ own self-selected speed in a laboratory while energy expenditure and psychological states (using PANAS) were assessed. Results showed no differences in energy expenditure (p > .05) or negative affect (p > .05) between conditions. However, data revealed significant differences in positive affect when participants ran with a static image and their own entertainment compared to running with a dynamic image. Results revealed how differences in affordances designed into physical activity environments can shape psychological states that emerge during exercise. Further research is needed on affordance design in physical activity and exercise by engineers, designers, planners and psychologists to explore effects of a range of simulated environments, with different target groups, such as fit and unfit individuals, elderly and children

Physical and Emotional Benefits of Different Exercise Environments Designed for Treadmill Running.

(1) Background: Green physical activity promotes physical health and mental wellbeing and interesting questions concern effects of this information on designing indoor exercise environments. This study examined the physical and emotional effects of different nature-based environments designed for indoor treadmill running; (2) Methods: In a counterbalanced experimental design, 30 participants performed three, twenty-minute treadmill runs at a self-selected pace while viewing either a static nature image, a dynamic nature image or self-selected entertainment. Distance ran, heart rate (HR) and five pre-and post-exercise emotional states were measured; (3) Results: Participants ran farther, and with higher HRs, with self-selected entertainment compared to the two nature-based environment designs. Participants attained lowered anger, dejection, anxiety and increased excitement post exercise in all of the designed environments. Happiness increased during the two nature-based environment designs compared with self-selected entertainment; (4) Conclusions: Self-selected entertainment encouraged greater physical performances whereas running in nature-based exercise environments elicited greater happiness immediately after running

Physical, Psychological and Emotional Benefits of Green Physical Activity: An Ecological Dynamics Perspective

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland Increasing evidence supports the multiple benefits to physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of green physical activity, a topic of increasing interest in the past decade. Research has revealed a synergistic benefit of green physical activity, which includes all aspects of exercise and physical activity in the presence of nature. Our theoretical analysis suggests there are three distinct levels of engagement in green physical activity, with each level reported to have a positive effect on human behaviours. However, the extent to which each level of green physical activity benefits health and wellbeing is assumed to differ, requiring confirmation in future research. This elucidation of understanding is needed because previous literature has tended to focus on recording empirical evidence rather than developing a sound theoretical framework to understand green physical activity effects. Here we propose an ecological dynamics rationale to explain how and why green physical activity might influence health and wellbeing of different population groups. This framework suggests a number of unexplored, interacting constraints related to types of environment and population groups, which shape reported levels of benefit of green physical activity. Further analysis is needed to clarify the explicit relationship between green physical activity and health and wellbeing, including levels of engagement, types of environmental constraints, levels of physical activity, adventure effects, skill effects and sampling of different populations

Vitamin C Protects Chondrocytes against Monosodium Iodoacetate-Induced Osteoarthritis by Multiple Pathways

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease. Dietary intake of vitamin C relates to a reduction in cartilage loss and OA. This study examined the efficacy of vitamin C to prevent OA with the in vitro chondrosarcoma cell line (SW1353) and the in vivo monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA rat. Results demonstrated that, in SW1353 cells, treatment with 5 μM MIA inhibited cell growth and increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, and proteoglycan loss. In addition, the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-13 were increased. All of these MIA-induced changes could be prevented with treatment of 100 μM vitamin C. In an animal model, intra-articular injection of MIA-induced cartilage degradation resembled the pathological changes of OA, and treatment of vitamin C could lessen these changes. Unexpectedly, vitamin C’s effects did not strengthen with the increasing dosage, while the 100 mg/kg dosage was more efficient than the 200 or 300 mg/kg dosages. Vitamin C possessed multiple capacities for prevention of OA progress, including a decrease in apoptosis and in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMPs in addition to the well-known antioxidation