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Bølling M, Mygind L, Elsborg P, Melby PS, Barfod KS, Brønd JC, Klinker CD, Nielsen G, Bentsen P. Efficacy and mechanisms of an education outside the classroom intervention on pupils' health and education: the MOVEOUT study protocol. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1825. [PMID: 37726771 PMCID: PMC10510120 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16618-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Education can create better opportunities for health, and vice versa. Using a so-called 'add-in' approach, school-based physical activity (PA) promotion and prevention of sedentary behaviours can increase pupils' wellbeing and learning and, on the longer term, reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases. A PA 'add-in' approach involves integrating PA into teachers' curricular obligations without being an extra burden as opposed to an 'add-on' approach which requires additional operational resources and include activities that do not explicitly contribute towards curricular targets making them less long-term acceptable in a school-based context. Previous studies investigating education outside the classroom (EOtC) show mutual benefits for both health and education outcomes among children and adolescents. However, the evidence is of mixed quality and questionable certainty, which calls for further investigation. The aim of this study protocol is to describe and discuss the study design and methods to investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of EOtC as a vehicle for health and education. The study investigates the intervention developed and conducted in the TEACHOUT study with updated and strengthened design and measures. METHODS The efficacy of EOtC will be investigated in a cluster randomised waitlist design. Participants will be pupils in ~54 classes, grades 4-10 (ages 10-15 years) in ~30 Danish elementary schools. Fifteen schools will be randomised to the intervention: a two-day EOtC training course targeting teachers followed by the teachers implementing EOtC >5 hours weekly over the course of one school year. Pre- and post-measures of health (PA and wellbeing) and learning (school motivation and academic achievement) will be collected. Investigation of pedagogical and motivational mechanisms will be based on observations of EOtC. DISCUSSION The updated randomised controlled design will provide firmer evidence for the efficacy and mechanisms of EOtC and provide knowledge about how mutual benefits of health and education can be obtained. TRIAL REGISTRATION Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (ID NCT05237674 ) [University of Copenhagen. MOVEOUT: a Cluster RCT of the Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Mediation of an Education Outside the Classroom Intervention on Adolescents' Physical Activity, 2023], February 14, 2022. Most recently updated on November 23, 2022 (Version 2).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads Bølling
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Health Promotion Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark.
- Research Centre for Pedagogy and Bildung, Program on Outdoor Pedagogy, VIA University College, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Lærke Mygind
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Elsborg
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paulina S Melby
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Karen S Barfod
- Research Centre for Pedagogy and Bildung, Program on Outdoor Pedagogy, VIA University College, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jan Christian Brønd
- Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Demant Klinker
- Health Promotion Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Glen Nielsen
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Bentsen
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Spennemann DHR, Whitsed R. The impact of COVID-19 on the Australian outdoor recreation industry from the perspective of practitioners. J Outdoor Recreat Tour 2023; 41:100445. [PMID: 38620701 PMCID: PMC8450281 DOI: 10.1016/j.jort.2021.100445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and continues to impact, the viability of many industries worldwide. In Australia, the outdoor recreation industry, already severely affected by the summer 2019-2020 bushfires, was further affected by COVID-19 restrictions including internal border closures, stay at home orders, social distancing requirements and travel restrictions. We surveyed outdoor recreation industry representatives in Australia to assess the impact of COVID-19 on professionals in the industry, views on career choices, and perspectives on the future of the industry in a post-COVID world. We found that COVID-19 affected outdoor recreation businesses in multiple ways, with a pessimistic outlook for the industry until travel restrictions and social distancing requirements are eased and economic confidence returns. This is unlikely to happen until vaccinations are rolled out nationally and herd immunity has been achieved. Even after this, however, the industry is likely to continue to suffer through loss of qualified staff and the flow-on effects of the imposed pause in guided outdoor recreation and tourism activities. We identify an urgent need for the industry to adapt and futureproof itself against future disruptors, including the very real possibility of future novel virus epidemics or pandemics. Management implications •the disruptive effect of COVID-19 on the industry, is not an aberration as another zoonotic coronavirus will manifest itself in the foreseeable future•living with the stochastic occurrence of coronavirus epidemics, some of which may develop into pandemics, is the new reality, and outdoor recreation providers will have to adapt to it.•the industry needs to develop activities that can be performed safely yet comply with increased hygiene and social distancing standards.•COVID-19 showed the risks of losing qualified and experienced staff and client confidence. Outdoor recreation providers need to develop strategies to minimise such losses in future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk H R Spennemann
- School of Environmental Sciences and Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University; PO Box 789, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia
| | - Rachel Whitsed
- School of Environmental Sciences and Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University; PO Box 789, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia
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Mateo-Canedo C, Crespo-Puig N, Cladellas R, Méndez-Ulrich JL, Sanz A. MOTEMO-OUTDOOR: ensuring learning and health security during the COVID-19 pandemic through outdoor and online environments in higher education. Learn Environ Res 2023; 26:1-19. [PMID: 36785869 PMCID: PMC9909139 DOI: 10.1007/s10984-023-09456-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The restriction measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic posed notable challenges for formal teaching-learning processes because they had to be adapted to ensure health security. An active learning programme applied to three environments (indoors, outdoors, and online) was tested with 273 undergraduate university students in a within-subjects experimental study. Each student was assigned to two indoor and two outdoor seminars, with a subsample (n = 30) also participating in online seminars implemented in response to the university's lockdown protocols. The learning experience and learning conditions were evaluated through six dimensions: learning, evaluative impact, hedonic experience, technical conditions, environmental conditions, and health security. Outdoor seminars were more effective than indoor seminars in terms of the learning experience, with greater differences in hedonic experience, while the indoor seminars were rated more highly than the outdoor seminars in terms of learning conditions, with a larger difference in the environmental conditions. No differences were found between online and face-to-face environments in terms of the learning experience, even though the online environment yielded better scores in the learning conditions. Apparently, this adaptation to both outdoor and online contexts through active methodologies allows overcoming of technical, environmental, and teaching limitations and improves health security, while ensuring a good learning experience and added flexibility to teaching-learning processes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10984-023-09456-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corel Mateo-Canedo
- Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Fortuna, S/N. Bellaterra Campus, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Neus Crespo-Puig
- Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Fortuna, S/N. Bellaterra Campus, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ramon Cladellas
- Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Fortuna, S/N. Bellaterra Campus, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Luis Méndez-Ulrich
- Department of Methods of Research and Diagnosis in Education, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoni Sanz
- Department of Basic, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Carrer de la Fortuna, S/N. Bellaterra Campus, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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Adams D, Gray T. An exploration of how the disruption of mainstream schooling during the COVID-19 crisis provided opportunities that we can learn from so that we may improve our future relationship with the more-than-human world. SN Soc Sci 2023; 3:18. [PMID: 36686567 PMCID: PMC9839208 DOI: 10.1007/s43545-022-00588-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis forced educators globally to reassess delivery of their curricula and educational priorities. Already the worsening climate crisis amid human beings' deleterious relationship with the more-than-human world has caused many educators to demand radical reconsiderations as to the purpose and meaning of education. We ask: how did the disruption of mainstream schooling, during the COVID-19 crisis, provide opportunities that we can learn from so that we may improve our future relationship with the more-than-human world? We examine research that shows children can benefit from outdoor, contemplative pedagogical approaches that differ from their usual indoor classroom experience. Outdoor, contemplative pedagogical approaches involving freedom from "clock-time", as were experienced by some children during the lockdowns, can allow for ways of knowing and states of being that are often marginalised or excluded from mainstream schools in industrial growth societies. We draw on underpinning theory that argues the status quo in schools conforms to a factory model of schooling that prioritises limited ways of knowing and states of being, thus, lacking the perspectives needed to enable children to cultivate a sustained, healthy relationship with nature. We suggest that outdoor contemplative approaches are required that allow children to dwell pedagogically and experience their relationship with the more-than-human world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Adams
- Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Tonia Gray
- Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
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Scott S, Gray T, Charlton J, Millard S. The Impact of Time Spent in Natural Outdoor Spaces on Children's Language, Communication and Social Skills: A Systematic Review Protocol. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:12038. [PMID: 36231338 PMCID: PMC9566327 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
There has been increasing interest over the past decade with regard to the health and wellbeing implications of time spent outdoors in nature for children. Universal systematic reviews of evidence report benefits to physical health, social-emotional mental health and wellbeing, cognition and academic learning. Internationally, there is indicative evidence to suggest outdoor engagement with nature may also impact children's language and communication skills, skills that are critical to development, education, social relationships and life opportunities. Yet, at present such evidence has not been synthesised. Despite evidence for the benefits of the outdoors, the amount of time children are spending outdoors is in rapid decline, and has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside this are increasing numbers of children starting primary education with significant speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) which remain persistent over time. With established wide-reaching benefits of nature to children's physical and mental health and psychological development, there is a need to further explore the more specific impacts of the natural environment on children's language, communication and social skills, which could provide a unique opportunity to consider nature as a universal public health intervention for SLCN. The current review will aim to synthesise existing qualitative and quantitative evidence of the impact of time spent in natural outdoor spaces on the language, communication and social skills of 2-11-year-old children. Literature will be searched across seven databases and considered for inclusion against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Potential implications of the review include informing public health practice and policy for child development and education, informing priorities for speech, language, and communication interventions, and providing directions for future international research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steph Scott
- Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, Coral House, Longbow Close, Shrewsbury SY1 3GZ, UK
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Tonia Gray
- Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
| | - Jenna Charlton
- School of Education, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Sharon Millard
- Michael Palin Centre for Stammering, 13-15 Pine Street, London EC1R 0JG, UK
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Leonard AM, Ewert AW, Lieberman-Raridon K, Mitten D, Rabinowitz E, Deringer SA, Schwartz F, Smith S, Norton CL, Regentin J, Bagley S, Anderson I. Outdoor Adventure and Experiential Education and COVID-19: What Have We Learned? J Exp Educ (Thousand Oaks) 2022; 45:233-255. [PMID: 37519824 PMCID: PMC9358127 DOI: 10.1177/10538259211050762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) now known as COVID-19 changed the world and the outdoor adventure and experiential education (OAEE) fields were not immune. These changes significantly impacted various OAEE programs in multiple ways and at different levels of intensity. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the OAEE fields and identify how OAEE organizations have responded to those impacts. Methodology/Approach: Using a three-phase study and a multi-method approach to data collection and analyses, respondents from 115 OAEE organizations (N=115) were asked to indicate how and in what ways their organizations have been impacted by the pandemic and in what ways their organizations have responded to those challenges. Findings/Conclusions: Many organizations responded not being ready for the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant impacts were noted from most of the OAEE organizations responding and included closings, staff reductions, and downsizing as well as operational changes. Many organizations reported ways they are attempting to mitigate the pandemic effects. Implications: Important questions were raised in this paper as to how well prepared the OAEE fields might be for the next crisis.
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Merkle C, DuBois B, Sayles JS, Carlson L, Spalding HC, Myers B, Kaipa S. Self-Reported Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Stewardship Organizations and Their Activities in Southeast New England, USA. Front Sustain Cities 2022; 3:1-9. [PMID: 36569177 PMCID: PMC9770051 DOI: 10.3389/frsc.2021.772880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In many communities, regions, or landscapes, there are numerous environmental groups working across different sectors and creating stewardship networks that shape the environment and the benefits people derive from it. The make-up of these networks can vary, but generally include organizations of different sizes and capacities. As the Covid-19 pandemic (2020 to the present) shuts down businesses and nonprofits, catalyzes new initiatives, and generally alters the day-to-day professional and personal lives, it is logical to assume that these stewardship networks and their environmental work are impacted; exactly how, is unknown. In this study, we analyze the self-reported effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on stewardship groups working in southeast New England, USA. Stewardship organizations were surveyed from November 2020 to April 2021 and asked, among other questions, "How is Covid-19 affecting your organization?" We analyzed responses using several qualitative coding approaches. Our analysis revealed group-level impacts including changes in group capacity, challenges in managing access to public green spaces, and altered forms of volunteer engagement. These results provide insights into the varied effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and government responses such as stay-at-home orders and social distancing policies on stewardship that can inform the development of programs to reduce negative outcomes and enhance emerging capacities and innovations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey Merkle
- Liberal Arts Division, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Bryce DuBois
- Liberal Arts Division, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Jesse S. Sayles
- ORISE Fellowship Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, Narragansett, RI, United States
| | - Lynn Carlson
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - H. Curt Spalding
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Ben Myers
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Shreya Kaipa
- Liberal Arts Division, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, United States
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Butler M. Interdisciplinary experiential learning during COVID-19: lessons learned and reflections for the future. J Environ Stud Sci 2022; 12:369-377. [PMID: 35013697 PMCID: PMC8731217 DOI: 10.1007/s13412-021-00734-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Environmental education enables students to critically analyze their impact on the world while producing environmentally knowledgeable and engaged global citizens with the skills and motivation necessary to participate in developing and implementing solutions to societal and environmental challenges. Beyond facilitating student learning, experiential learning opportunities that allow students to interact with the natural environment can also help facilitate students' overall well-being and resilience. Although the nature of the COVID-19 crisis acts as a barrier to hands-on learning, during this unprecedented time, the benefits of experiential environmental education are more needed than ever. Lessons learned from creative adaptations to COVID-19 highlight the value and resilience of experiential and interdisciplinary learning models. As the pandemic continues, it is increasingly important to share these lessons learned from efforts to safely provide hands-on experiential education opportunities. This paper shares the experience of the Oregon Extension, an undergraduate study away program based out of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon that successfully adapted field-based environmental education programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper describes the Oregon Extension Program and adaptations made during COVID-19. It then provides a set of reflections and lessons learned regarding adaptations to COVID-19 and implications for environmental education beyond COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Butler
- Conservation Biology Department, Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste Marie, MI USA
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Trkman M, Popovič A, Trkman P. The impact of perceived crisis severity on intention to use voluntary proximity tracing applications. International Journal of Information Management 2021; 61:102395. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Bølling M, Mygind E, Mygind L, Bentsen P, Elsborg P. The Association between Education Outside the Classroom and Physical Activity: Differences Attributable to the Type of Space? Children (Basel) 2021; 8:children8060486. [PMID: 34200485 PMCID: PMC8227423 DOI: 10.3390/children8060486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has become an attractive approach, not only for learning but also for health. This explorative, cross-sectional study investigated children’s sedentary behaviours (SED), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) on school days with an EOtC session in green space compared to school days with EOtC in other environments and without EOtC. Teachers from 17 Danish school classes practised EOtC for one school year on a weekly basis and self-reported the characteristics of the EOtC environment. The pupils’ PA was device-measured for seven consecutive days in a random period during the school year with AX3 accelerometers. Across 617 pupils (age 9–13 years), PA intensity cases (N = 2264) on school days (8:10–14:00 h) with (n = 317) or without (n = 1947) EOtC were included in a mixed-effects regression analysis. Mean exposure to EOtC was 262 min per session. School days with green EOtC (e.g., parks, forests and nature schools) were associated with (mean, [95% CI]) −24.3 [−41.8, −7.7] min SED and +21.3 [7.7, 36.4] min LPA compared to school days with non-green EOtC (e.g., cultural and societal institutions or companies) and with +6.2 [−0.11, 11.48] min MVPA compared to school days with a school-ground EOtC. No sex differences were found. In conclusion, school days with green EOtC must be considered promising to counteract children’s sedentary behaviours during school hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads Bølling
- Health Promotion Research, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark, Niels Steensens Vej 6, DK-2820 Gentofte, Denmark;
- Correspondence:
| | - Erik Mygind
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (E.M.); (P.B.)
| | - Lærke Mygind
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital—Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, The Capital Region of Denmark, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark;
- School of Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia
- Department of Public Health, Unit of Medical Psychology, University of Copenhagen, DK-1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Bentsen
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, DK-1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; (E.M.); (P.B.)
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital—Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, The Capital Region of Denmark, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark;
| | - Peter Elsborg
- Health Promotion Research, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark, Niels Steensens Vej 6, DK-2820 Gentofte, Denmark;
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Copenhagen University Hospital—Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, The Capital Region of Denmark, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark;
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Barrable A, Booth D, Adams D, Beauchamp G. Enhancing Nature Connection and Positive Affect in Children through Mindful Engagement with Natural Environments. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:4785. [PMID: 33946148 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Nature connection, which describes a positive relationship between humans and the rest of nature, has been recognised as a worthwhile goal of all education. Given its association with wellbeing, as well as the fact that it can predict ecological behaviours in children, there have been several calls for it to become central to environmental education, and an important tool in tackling climate change. Previous research has reported the success of short-term interventions in increasing nature connection in children, but to date no empirical studies have looked at how mindful engagement with nature can promote both nature connection and positive affect. This study took place in a nature reserve in Wales and included n = 74 children, aged 9–10, who took part in three mindful activities. Pre- and post- measures included nature connection and positive/negative affect. Analysis showed a significant small to medium effect of the activity on nature connection. Moreover, positive affect significantly increased post-activity, while negative affect showed a small decrease.
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Beery T. What We Can Learn from Environmental and Outdoor Education during COVID-19: A Lesson in Participatory Risk Management. Sustainability 2020; 12:9096. [DOI: 10.3390/su12219096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 has impacted education on all levels, with many institutions turning to online formats to deal with the global public health crisis. This study aims to carefully consider participatory risk management, given concerns about the specific impact of COVID-19 upon environmental and outdoor education. An environmental and outdoor education expedition-style university-based field course at the Laponia World Heritage Site provided the context for considering environmental and outdoor education’s response to COVID-19. Whether or how risk could be effectively managed in the unique setting during the COVID-19 pandemic was explored using action research methodology. A combination of systematic instructor observation, student–instructor communication, and surveys to student participants provided the data to consider the research question. Outcomes underscore the critical role of participatory risk management in environmental and outdoor education settings and highlight the concept of interdependence in environmental and outdoor education risk management. In addition, the research provides support for the action research idea of practitioners as researchers.
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