Does nature-based social prescription improve mental health outcomes? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A nature-based social prescription (NBSP) is an approach to improving mental health outcomes that involves prescribing nature-based interventions as complementary or alternative therapy to traditional ones. A variety of advantages are available from NBSP for people looking to enhance their mental well-being. The effect size of the nature-based social prescriptions (NBSPs) has not been thoroughly evaluated by systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Objectives: The current study aimed to analyze existing studies and conduct a meta-analysis to determine the overall effect size of the nature-based social prescriptions (NBSP's) outcomes on mental health. Methods: By choosing the relevant papers from among those that were available, a meta-analysis was carried out in the current study. A systematic search of electronic databases (Pub Med, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, and PsychINFO) was conducted to identify relevant studies. Studies were included if they evaluated the effects of NBSP on mental health outcomes. Effect sizes were calculated using the random effects model. Results: Meta-analysis of interventions statistics shows that CBT (SMD -0.0035; 95% CI: [-0.5090; 0.5020]; Tau^2: 0.1011; Tau: 0.318), digital intervention (SMD -0.3654; 95% CI: [-0.5258; 1.2566]; Tau^2: 0.2976, Tau: 0.5455), music intervention (SMD -2.1281; 95% CI: [-0.4659; 4.7221]; Tau^2: 3.4046; Tau:1.8452), and psychological interventions (SMD -0.8529; 95% CI: [0.3051; 1.4007]; Tau^2: 0.1224; Tau: 0.3499) do not significantly impact. The other interventions [social belongingness, communication training, blue intervention, nature-based education, cognitive behavior group therapy (CBGT), social prescribing coordinator, self-help intervention, participatory, organizational intervention, inpatient services, brief diet, internet-based intervention, prenatal intervention, yoga and meditation, ergonomics training program, yoga nidra intervention, and storytelling] highlighted above are significant. Conclusion: The conclusion of the meta-analysis supports the idea that incorporating nature-based social prescription interventions into mental healthcare plans can effectively complement traditional therapies and improve mental health outcomes. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023412458, CRD42023412458.

Does physical activity influence health behavior, mental health, and psychological resilience under the moderating role of quality of life?

Background: Physical activity significantly influences health-related behaviors, encompassing physical and mental well-being. Physical activity has been linked to enhancing health behavior, mental health, and psychological resilience. The current study is based on participants who were active in physical activity to improve health and well-being. Objectives: To examine the influences of physical activity on health behavior, mental health, and psychological resilience, considering the moderating role of quality of life. Method: A thorough cross-sectional online survey was conducted from April 15, 2023, to October 15, 2023. The survey was comprehensive and lasted for six months. The online poll received more than one thousand responses under convenience sampling. The selection criteria for the study were above 21 years old, and participants were active in physical activity to improve health and well-being. The collected data were analyzed using appropriate statistical SPSS-25 and SmartPLS 4.0 software to investigate the proposed research paradigm. Results: SEM results of model 1 (direct coefficients) show that PA has a positive effect on HeB, MeH, PsR, HeB on MeH, HeB on PsR. Out of six (in model 2), four moderating effects of QOL were significant, and two were statistically insignificant. Conclusion: It has been observed that the quality of life has a moderating role in the relationships between physical exercise and several aspects, such as psychological resilience, mental health, and health-related behavior. It is imperative to emphasize the importance of fostering consistent engagement in physical activity to cultivate a well-balanced and health-conscious way of life.

The association between COVID-19 preventive strategies, virtual reality exercise, use of fitness apps, physical, and psychological health: testing a structural equation moderation model.

Background: Directly or indirectly, individual psychosocial characteristics, motivation, and health consciousness factors help to maintain physical and psychological health through maintaining physical activity. Objective: In the current study, we investigated how fitness apps moderate the links among COVID-19 preventive strategies, virtual reality exercise, physical health, and psychological health in Chinese society. Method: A nationwide online survey across China was conducted under a snowball sampling design from February to June 2022. A total of 3,000 questionnaires were distributed across China via online platforms. A total of 2,795 complete detailed replies were included in the final analysis. Structural equation modeling techniques were employed to analyze the collected data through Smart-PLS 3.0. Results: It has been statically proved that all the scales used in this inquiry to determine the mean scores, standard deviation, excess kurtosis, and skewness values were reliable and produced satisfactory results. The overall results (H1: ß = 0.385, t = 15.699, p = 0.000; H2: ß = 0.159, t = 7.405, p = 0.000; H3: ß = 0.122, t = 5.435, p = 0.000; H4: ß = 0.143, t = 6.493, p = 0.000; H5: ß = 0.157, t = 6.444, p = 0.000; H6: ß = 0.184, t = 9.071, p = 0.000; H7: ß = 0.192, t = 9.319, p = 0.000; H8: ß = 0.235, t = 11.899, p = 0.000; H9: ß = -0.114, t = 4.872, p = 0.000; H10: ß = 0.042, t = 2.872, p = 0.004; H11: ß = 0.041, t = 2.699, p = 0.007) supported our hypothetical model and explained that using fitness apps and virtual reality exercise benefits physical and psychological health. Conclusion: The fitness app's primary purpose during and after the pandemic is to motivate users to keep up with their regular at-home workouts. Exercise and active living are helpful in the prevention of risk factors associated with physical inactivity.

Fitness Apps, Live Streaming Workout Classes, and Virtual Reality Fitness for Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Lockdown: An Empirical Study.

Background: Physical activity is an essential need of the human body that helps improve the physical fitness of an individual and creates a positive impact on overall wellbeing. Smartphone applications play an essential role in providing several benefits to consumers by offering various capabilities in terms of health and fitness.COVID-19 preventive measures shut down public places, and people cannot go to the gym and parks for physical activity. Smart applications for physical activity are an effective way to keep active while staying at home. Objective: The objective of the present study was to assess the mediating role of the e-platforms physical activity among the Chinese people in China during the COVID-19 lockdown. Method: The participants in this study were Chinese citizens living in home isolation during the early stages of the epidemic in China. The primary data was collected via an online survey using a convenience sample strategy in accordance with the study purpose. The collected data were cleaned by using the SPSS-25 statistical software. SmartPLS 3.0 software was used to investigate the suggested study framework utilizing the structural equation modeling technique. Results: Descriptive statistics shows that the ratio of gender includes 49% (n = 2,626) male and 51% females in the entire sample. SEM results show that all hypotheses (H1: ß = 0.497, T = 43.068, P = <0.001; H2: ß = 0.498, T = 41.078, P = <0.001; H3: ß = 0.498, T = 41.078, P = <0.001; H4: ß = 0.471, T = 39.103, P = <0.001; H5: ß = 0.468, T = 42.633, P = <0.001; H6: ß = 0.251, T = 11.212, P = <0.001; H7: ß = 0.367, T = 16.032, P = <0.001; H8: ß = 0.170, T = 13.750, P = <0.001; H9: ß = 0.125, T = 10.604, P = <0.001; H10: ß = 0.173, T = 14.842, P = <0.001) were statistically confirmed. Conclusion: In COVID-19, when there are limited physical activity resources, smart applications play an essential role as an alternative to gyms and change people's perspective regarding the adoption of health and fitness. Smart applications have made exercise and physical activity accessible and convenient to adopt.

The Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Health-Psychological Health, Physical Activity, and Overall Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Emotional Regulation.

Background: Highly infectious respiratory disease COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, and spread worldwide. Different measures have been adopted worldwide to contain the COVID-19, and these measures have various impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (CP) and lockdown policy on physical health (PH)-psychological health (PsH), physical activity (PA), and overall well-being (OW) in the context of HRQoL, exploring the mediating role of emotional regulation (ER). Method: The current study was conducted in two provincial cities of China. An online survey was conducted in both the cities to collect the data. After quantifying the data, a total of 2,200 respondents data were analyzed through appropriate statistical techniques. Results: The study results indicate that CP was found significantly and negatively related to PH (ß = -0.157, t = 9.444, p < 0.001). A significant relationship was found between CP and PsH (ß = 0.779, t = 45.013, p < 0.001). The third prediction revealed a significant negative relationship between the CP and OW (ß = -0.080, t = 5.261, p < 0.001). The CP and PA had a significant negative relationship (ß = -0.047, t = 3.351, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The PH, PsH, and OW of the Chinese people were affected due to the CP and lockdown measures. It is suggested that ER intervention reduces the negative psychological impacts for improving quality of life. ER can function one's sentiments in their social environment effectively for quality of life.

Physical Activity is a Medicine for Non-Communicable Diseases: A Survey Study Regarding the Perception of Physical Activity Impact on Health Wellbeing.

BACKGROUND: A modifiable risk factor for many diseases is physical inactivity. In this modern era, physical activity is acknowledged as a vital strategy to promote good health. According to the WHO, regular physical activity has various benefits for psycho-physical health. Decreased physical inactivity is happening in China due to the increased participation of the Chinese population in physical activity. The human body needs a specific level of physical activity to maintain good health. OBJECTIVE: The main aim of the present study was to assess the Chinese people's understanding of physical activity and participation in physical activity as a preventive measure against different diseases. METHODS: The present study was exploratory and conducted in the Kunshan county-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. A well-designed questionnaire was used to collect the data from the survey participants. A total of 3390 residents were selected from 1300 households through a simple random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed through SPSS software. Both univariate and bivariate analysis were performed. RESULTS: The survey results showed that the majority of women are participating in physical activity. Most of the Kunshan people participate in physical activity one time or more than one time per week. They perform 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity to improve physical fitness, recreation, and disease prevention. Fitness walking is the most common type of physical activity among Kunshan people, and most of them participate in physical activity at night. Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that post-test ranks are statistically higher than pre-test ranks (P<0.0039, 0.0039, 0.0039, 0.0020, 0.0001, 0.0156, 0.0313). CONCLUSION: The study results showed that physical activity plays a catalyst role in improving human health on a natural path. It reduces the risk factor of non-communicable diseases and promotes general wellbeing. These findings show that physical activity level increases in Chinese society as more people participate in physical activity for health-being.

The Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Home Confinement and Physical Activity: A Structural Equation Model Analysis.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 break out has created panic and fear in society. A strict kind of lockdown was imposed in Wuhan, Hubei province of China. During home confinement due to lockdown, people face multidimensional issues. The present study explored the psychological impacts of COVID-19 home confinement during the lockdown period and Wuhan's residents' attitude toward physical activity. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to collect the primary data according to the study objectives. The population was Wuhan residents (+ 18 years) who were in home confinement. A total of 2280 participant's reply to the online questionnaire survey and collected data after quantifying the data, about 2200 (96.49%); about (49.8%) female, about (49.4%) male, others about (0.2%), and about (0.6%) were not disclosed their gender participants responses were used for analysis. The collected data were analyzed through appropriate statistical techniques. RESULTS: According to results, H1 is supported with ß = -40.793, t = 57.835, p = 0.000, which claimed a negative association between COVID-19 lockdown policy and behavior and attitude. Results for H2 reveals that the COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on emotional control with ß = -0.769, t = 46.766, p = 0.000 and it is supported. H3 documented a significant positive relationship between COVID-19 lockdown policy and lockdown period psychological impact, which means lockdown policy, is the main reason to increase the lockdown psychological impact. Further, COVID-19 lockdown policy have negative influence on physical activity (H4) and self-belief (H5) with ß = -0.657, t = 32.766, p = 0.000 and ß = -0.620, t = -6.766, p = 0.000 respectively. H6 stated that there is a positive impact of behavior and attitude toward physical activity. The results for H6, behavior, and attitude affecting the physical activity with ß = 0.401, t = 10, p = 0.000, which is supported. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 home confinement created various psychological impacts, negatively affecting the emotional state due to depression and anxiety. Physical activity is the best strategy to manage human nature's psychological issues, and people's attitudes were positive toward physical activity during home confinement. However, the lockdown policy also affects physical activity participation negatively, and a sedentary lifestyle prevailed during home confinement.