Elsevier

EXPLORE

Volume 19, Issue 3, May–June 2023, Pages 405-416
EXPLORE

Original Research
Effectiveness of a mindful nature walking intervention on sleep quality and mood in university students during Covid-19: A randomised control study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.004Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • Past research suggested walking in nature improves adults’ mental health.

  • Sleep difficulty and mood disturbance are prevalent among university students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • A raondmised controlled study compared the effects of mindful walking in nature and urban on sleep quality, mood, and mindfulness in university students.

  • One-week consecutive mindful walking effectively improves university students’ mood, sleep quality, and mindfulness regardless of environment.

  • The present study provides new insight for implementation of mindful waking amongst student sample to alleviate their mood and sleep problems.

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this project was to conduct a randomised control study to examine whether outdoor mindful walking in nature can effectively improve university students’ sleep quality, mood, and mindfulness during the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.K.

Methods

Participants were measured at T0 (pre-study baseline), T1 (pre-intervention), T2 (post-intervention), and T3 (follow-up). A total of 104 participants (female = 94) who were experiencing sleep difficulties were randomly allocated to either an experimental (i.e., nature) or control (i.e., urban) walking environment. Participants in each walking condition independently undertook a daily 35-minute walk for a week (7 days). Subjective sleep quality, total mood disturbance, mindfulness, and degree of nature connectedness, and participants’ perspectives on the intervention, were collected.

Results

Findings suggest that both groups resulted in significant improvements in participants' trait mindfulness, sleep quality and mood after the intervention. However, mindful walking in nature did not bring additional mental health benefits to participants relative to those who walked an urban environment. Participants provided their perspectives about the intervention, which will assist with future intervention development.

Conclusions

Findings contribute to the evidence-base on the effectiveness of outdoor mindful walking interventions for enhancing mental health. These findings contribute new knowledge on how mindful walking outdoors reduces university students’ mood disturbances and improves sleep quality and mindfulness level.

Keywords

Mindful walking intervention
Nature
Sleep quality
RCT
Covid-19
University students

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