Natural environments, psychosocial health, and health behaviors in a crisis - A scoping review of the literature in the COVID-19 context.

The COVID-19 outbreak led to major restrictions globally, affecting people's psychosocial health and their health behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the available research regarding nature and health in the COVID-19 context. Keywords relating to natural environments and COVID-19 were combined to conduct a systematic online search in six major databases. Eligibility criteria were a) published since 2020 with data collected in the COVID-19 context b) peer-reviewed, c) original empirical data collected on human participants, d) investigated the association between natural environments and psychosocial health or health behaviors, and e) English, German, or Scandinavian languages. Out of 9126 articles being screened, we identified 188 relevant articles, representing 187 distinct studies. Most research focused on adults in the general population and was predominantly conducted in the USA, Europe, and China. Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. Through a systematic thematic analysis of the extracted data, three primary themes were identified: 1) type of nature assessed, 2) psychosocial health and health behaviors investigated, and 3) heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship. Research gaps in the COVID-19 context were identified regarding I) nature characteristics that promote psychosocial health and health behaviors, II) investigations of digital and virtual nature, III) psychological constructs relating to mental health promotion, IV) health-promoting behaviors other than physical activity, V) underlying mechanisms regarding heterogeneity in the nature-health relationship based on human, nature, and geographic characteristics, and VI) research focusing on vulnerable groups. Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health. However, future research is warranted to fill the mentioned research gaps and to examine the long-term effects of nature exposure during COVID-19

Natural environments, psychosocial health, and health behaviors in a crisis – A scoping review of the literature in the COVID-19 context

The COVID-19 outbreak led to major restrictions globally, affecting people\u27s psychosocial health and their health behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the available research regarding nature and health in the COVID-19 context. Keywords relating to natural environments and COVID-19 were combined to conduct a systematic online search in six major databases. Eligibility criteria were a) published since 2020 with data collected in the COVID-19 context b) peer-reviewed, c) original empirical data collected on human participants, d) investigated the association between natural environments and psychosocial health or health behaviors, and e) English, German, or Scandinavian languages. Out of 9126 articles being screened, we identified 188 relevant articles, representing 187 distinct studies. Most research focused on adults in the general population and was predominantly conducted in the USA, Europe, and China. Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. Through a systematic thematic analysis of the extracted data, three primary themes were identified: 1) type of nature assessed, 2) psychosocial health and health behaviors investigated, and 3) heterogeneity in the nature–health relationship. Research gaps in the COVID-19 context were identified regarding I) nature characteristics that promote psychosocial health and health behaviors, II) investigations of digital and virtual nature, III) psychological constructs relating to mental health promotion, IV) health-promoting behaviors other than physical activity, V) underlying mechanisms regarding heterogeneity in the nature–health relationship based on human, nature, and geographic characteristics, and VI) research focusing on vulnerable groups. Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health. However, future research is warranted to fill the mentioned research gaps and to examine the long-term effects of nature exposure during COVID-19

Investigating the Impact of Green Exercise on Population Health and Well-being in a Small Community in Ireland:a Novel Approach Using a Natural Laboratory Ecosystem.

Green exercise is defined as undertaking physical activity whilst being directly exposed to nature (Pretty et al., 2005; 2007). Pretty et al. (2003) were among the first wave of researchers to investigate the synergistic benefits of incorporating physical activity and exposure to the natural environment to produce positive psychological affect. Over the past decade, investigations into the possible additive effects on well-being of green exercise and how it can be used as an influential tool to help combat the rising rate of both physical inactivity and non –communicable disease has gained prominence in scientific literature. However, there is still a need to investigate the mechanisms behind observed health benefits of the natural environment and to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits of environmental components and how this has potential to improve wellbeing and increase autonomous motivation in physical activity in a community setting. The research project GoGreenEx (Going Outdoors: Gathering Research Evidence on ENvironment and Exercise) aims to build engagement between expert researchers across interdisciplinary perspectives (psychology, physiology, biomechanics, environmental sciences and physical activity) and societal groups, both from the charity sector (Mental Health Ireland-a charity that promotes positive mental health) and the sporting domain (Local Sport Partnerships and commercial entities-e.g., Clarisford Park). This novel research in the field of public health will use the natural laboratory of Clarisford Park to study the impacts and underlying processes that surround green exercise and further add to our understanding of its potential effects on population health and well-being

Can digital placemaking improve mental health through nature?

Digital placemaking is confusing term and its potential support to health and wellbeing through engagement with nature is little understood. This microtalk will focus on how digital placemaking and green spaces impact health and well-being and aims to create digital placemaking toolkits for each Cultivating Cities. This question will be addressed by Maria’s PhD as part of GoGreenRoutes, an EU-funded project sowing the seeds for increased nature connectedness across Europe, Latin America and China

Editorial: Human-Nature Interactions: Perspectives on Conceptual and Methodological Issues

Urban agglomerations expose citizens to ever-increasing risks from heat, air pollution, noise stress, and reduced nature connectedness. Concurrently, accumulating evidence suggests various health benefits by exposure to urban natural spaces (World Health Organization, 2016a; Bratman et al., 2019). Existing research suggests an array of benefits of contact with nature which are linked to physical activity (e.g., green exercise), active travel, and residential proximity to greenspace. Psychological benefits appear to be related to mood, well-being, attention and pro-environmental behavior; physiological benefits have been described in terms of increased physical activity, improved cardiovascular parameters, reduced stress hormones, and enhanced immune resources (Bowler et al., 2010; Li, 2010; Park et al., 2010; Calogiuri and Chroni, 2014; Hartig et al., 2014; van den Bosch and Sang, 2017)

Altering Pace Control and Pace Regulation: Attentional Focus Effects during Running

Purpose: To date there are no published studies directly comparing self-controlled and externally-controlled pace endurance tasks. However, previous research suggests pace control may impact on cognitive strategy use and effort perceptions. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of manipulating perception of pace control on attentional focus, physiological, and psychological outcomes during running. A secondary aim was to determine the reproducibility of self-paced running performance when regulated by effort perceptions. Methods: Twenty experienced endurance runners completed four 3 km time-trials on a treadmill. Subjects completed two self-controlled pace (SC), one perceived exertion clamped (PE), and one externally-controlled pace (EC) time-trial. PE and EC were completed in a counterbalanced order. Pacing strategy for EC and perceived exertion instructions for PE replicated subjects' fastest SC time-trial. Results: Subjects reported a greater focus on cognitive strategies such as relaxing and optimizing running action during EC than SC. Mean heart rate was 2% lower during EC than SC despite an identical pacing strategy. Perceived exertion did not differ between the three conditions. However, increased internal sensory monitoring coincided with elevated effort perceptions in some subjects during EC, and a 10% slower completion time for PE (13.0 ± 1.6 min) than SC (11.8 ± 1.2 min). Conclusion: Altering pace control and pace regulation impacted on attentional focus. External control over pacing may facilitate performance, particularly when runners engage attentional strategies conducive to improved running efficiency. However, regulating pace based on effort perceptions alone may result in excessive monitoring of bodily sensations and a slower running speed. Accordingly, attentional focus interventions may prove beneficial for some athletes to adopt task-appropriate attentional strategies to optimize performance

Measuring motor imagery using psychometric, behavioural, and psychophysiological tools

Measuring motor imagery using psychometric, behavioral, and psychophysiological tools. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 85Y92, 2011. This review examines the measurement of motor imagery (MI) processes. First, self-report measures of MI are evaluated. Next, mental chronometry measures are considered. Then, we explain how physiological indices of the autonomic nervous system can measure MI. Finally, we show how these indices may be combined to produce a measure of MI quality called the Motor Imagery Index. Key Words: motor imagery, mental imagery, psychometric measures, mental chronometry, autonomic nervous system, electrodermal and cardiac activities. MOTOR IMAGERY Motor imagery (MI), or the mental simulation of motor movement, is the cognitive rehearsal of an action without actually executing it (9,26). As the mental representation of a movement without the concomitant production of the muscle activity necessary for its implementation, MI has attracted increasing interest from researchers in sport science, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience During the past 15 years or so, we have conducted a number of studies on theoretical, practical, and rehabilitation issues involving MI. First, we have investigated the brain mechanisms underlying motor skill rehearsal and movement planning (11). Second, we have shown with others that the MI technique of mental practice (''seeing'' and ''feeling'' a movement in one's imagination before executing it) can increase physical strength performance (30) and enhance skill learning (3) and technical performance in athletes (4,32). Finally, we confirmed that MI training can facilitate rehabilitation from physical injury or neurological damage ((5) see (22) for a review). Elsewhere, we have provided a detailed account of research findings on MI (12). Considering that MI is a multidimensional construct (see model developed by Guillot and Collet (10)), we have measured its underlying processes using a combination of psychometric tests (18), qualitative procedures (19,25), chronometric methods in which MI processes are investigated by comparing the duration required to execute real and imagined actions (8), and psychophysiological techniques (1). Although these approaches have each yielded some interesting results (12), they have not yet been combined adequately to provide an aggregate index of MI quality. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to propose a rationale for our novel hypothesis that it is possible to calculate an index of MI quality by quantitatively combining psychometric, qualitative, chronometric, and psychophysiological measures. Our proposed Motor Imagery Index (MII) has significant implications for researchers and practitioners because it can be used to understand individual differences in MI and to assess the efficacy of MI interventions. PSYCHOMETRIC APPROACH For more than a century, researchers have used standardized self-report questionnaires to measure individual differences in imagery dimensions such as vividness (i.e., the clarity or sensory richness of an image) and controllability (i.e., the ease and accuracy with which an image can be manipulated mentally, see (24)). We have investigated both of these dimensions of imagery in sport settings. For example, we found that elite canoe-slalom competitors reported significantly greater use of MI than did less proficient counterparts when preparing for races (17). We investigated the effects of MI on the learning (through both physical and mental practice) of volleyball technique among intermediate performers of this sport (32). We found that a combination of MI and physical practice produced the most efficien

Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Tips for Players and Athletes COVID-RECOVER

First paragraph: The aim of this guidance is to provide a framework for athletes to cope, thrive and engage in personal growth during the current pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely led to wide-scale disruption of your sporting trajectories for 2020. This has included the cancellation or postponement of sporting events, limits to group training due to social distancing, restrictions on use of sporting facilities and loss of face-to-face access to coaches and support personnel. In the context of a threat to public health, arguably sports competition sinks into lesser importance, but for athletes like you, for whom sport is a fulltime job or major life goal, or for those who identify sports competition as a key part of their identity, it is important to share recommendations based on evidence and theory on how to support athletes and players through this time. The unprecedented situation means that evidence from similar or related contexts and relevant theories needs to be used to extrapolate to COVID-19 and all its challenges. Each of the guidelines below should be viewed like a menu to choose from and try, test and review, and be seen as a road to discovery instead of passive prescription of activities. Our team of practitioners and researchers have collated the knowledge below based on four premises: 1. Psychological Strengths: As a performer on the sporting stage, you have, in all likelihood, developed many skills and habits to support your on-field performance. Pre-performance routines for penalty taking, for example, may include relaxation and focusing components which aid emotional regulation. This can be also applied to help you cope in world outside of sport (i.e. outside the bubble). Awareness of your repertoire of psychological skills and the ability to use them across different contexts is highly important. 2. Resilience: The capacity to mobilise resources both in advance and after a major challenge, is developed through our sporting challenges. In the face of a trauma, it is likely that resilience is the default rather than the exception. As an athlete, you have the ability to respond in an optimistic way to major stressors and engage in post-traumatic growth. Further, you have successful experiences from memory to call upon on which By doing this, you build a firm foundation on which to build your beliefs that you have sufficient resources to cope with COVID-19. 3. Individual Responses: It is important to acknowledge that athletes in different sports and at different levels of competition have developed diverse sets of abilities and competencies. Dual-career athletes (e.g. student-athletes) may have invested much of their effort in their sport despite study or work commitments, and injured athletes may be over-identifying with their sport as a predictable response to injury, in both cases making these athletes very vulnerable to major stressors. 4. Perception of Control: Loss of control is a major source of anxiety in a pandemic (see Mansell, 2020). Developing autonomy and a sense of control is a key part to feeling safe and secure. With COVID-19, the new habits that could help protect you such as physical isolation, hand hygiene, and avoiding touching your face can help you gain control in an uncertain world. And finding new ways to exercise, to work and to interact can open up a world of exciting possibilities. Athletes have shown an ability to develop positive habits and maintain self-control, skills transferable to meeting the present challenging circumstances