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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1449059

Reassessing Green Exercise research: unveiling methodological gaps and pathways for progress

Provisionally accepted
Luca Laezza Luca Laezza 1*Stefano De Dominicis Stefano De Dominicis 1,2Margherita Brondino Margherita Brondino 1
  • 1 Department of Human Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
  • 2 Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The present review critically assesses the nexus between physical activity, nature exposure and health benefits by analysing environmental measures in green exercise research. A Cochrane-inspired review of systematic studies exposes methodological gaps, emphasising the scarcity of long-term research and the lack of rigorous designed studies. It calls for more robust, varied research designs and improved environmental metrics. The findings advocate for longitudinal research to better comprehend the mental and physical health benefits of exposure to nature. Embracing an ecological-dynamic perspective is recommended to advance our understanding of the intricate connections between activity, environment, and well-being.

    Keywords: Green exercise, Environmental measures, literature review, Nature exposure, physical activity

    Received: 14 Jun 2024; Accepted: 21 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Laezza, De Dominicis and Brondino. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Luca Laezza, Department of Human Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.