IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i7p2515-d342224.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Group Outdoor Health Walks Using Activity Trackers: Measurement and Implementation Insight from a Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Author

Listed:
  • Katherine N. Irvine

    (Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences, James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB14 8QH, UK)

  • Melissa R. Marselle

    (Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Ecosystem Services, Permoserstr 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
    German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e 04103 Leipzig, Germany)

  • Alan Melrose

    (Alan Melrose Consultancy Ltd., 1 Balnastraid Cottages, Dinnet, Aboyne AB34 5NE, UK)

  • Sara L. Warber

    (Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, 1018 Fuller St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1213, USA
    European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro TR1 3HD, UK)

Abstract

Outdoor walking groups are nature-based interventions (NBIs) that promote health and wellbeing by modifying individual behaviour. The challenges of such NBIs include the motivation of inactive adults to participate and measurement issues. This feasibility study investigates a 12-week group outdoor health walk (GOHW) incorporating activity trackers and use of a holistic health and wellbeing measure, the Self-sasessment of Change (SAC) scale. A mixed methods design explored participant recruitment and retention, programme delivery, and measures of physical activity and health and wellbeing. Walker data included: pre-post questionnaires, daily step counts, and interviews. Programme delivery information included: weekly checklists, staff reflections, stakeholder meeting minutes, and a report. Thirteen adults (age 63–81, 76% female) joined and completed the activity tracker GOHW. Activity trackers motivated walkers to join and be more active but complicated programme delivery. Activity trackers allowed the quantification of physical activity and the SAC health and wellbeing measure was easy to use. By week 12, all participants met national physical activity guidelines. Clinically relevant changes on the SAC scale included: sleeping well, experiencing vibrant senses, and feeling energised, focused, joyful, calm and whole. Results illustrate the feasibility of using activity trackers to motivate engagement in and provide a measure of physical activity from GOHWs. The SAC scale offers a promising measure for nature–health research. A conceptual model is provided for the development of future large-scale studies of NBIs, such as group outdoor health walks.

Suggested Citation

  • Katherine N. Irvine & Melissa R. Marselle & Alan Melrose & Sara L. Warber, 2020. "Group Outdoor Health Walks Using Activity Trackers: Measurement and Implementation Insight from a Mixed Methods Feasibility Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:7:p:2515-:d:342224
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/7/2515/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/7/2515/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melissa R. Marselle & Katherine N. Irvine & Sara L. Warber, 2013. "Walking for Well-Being: Are Group Walks in Certain Types of Natural Environments Better for Well-Being than Group Walks in Urban Environments?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-26, October.
    2. Katherine N. Irvine & Sara L. Warber & Patrick Devine-Wright & Kevin J. Gaston, 2013. "Understanding Urban Green Space as a Health Resource: A Qualitative Comparison of Visit Motivation and Derived Effects among Park Users in Sheffield, UK," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-26, January.
    3. Pucher, J. & Buehler, R. & Bassett, D.R. & Dannenberg, A.L., 2010. "Walking and cycling to health: A comparative analysis of city, state, and international data," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(10), pages 1986-1992.
    4. Frank Andrews & Aubrey McKennell, 1980. "Measures of self-reported well-being: their affective, cognitive, and other components," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 8(2), pages 127-155, June.
    5. Morabia, A. & Costanza, M.C., 2004. "Does Walking 15 Minutes per Day Keep the Obesity Epidemic Away? Simulation of the Efficacy of a Populationwide Campaign," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 94(3), pages 437-440.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Margaret Currie & Kathryn Colley & Katherine N. Irvine, 2021. "Outdoor Recreation for Older Adults in Scotland: Qualitatively Exploring the Multiplicity of Constraints to Participation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Zhenwei Wang & Xiaochun Wang & Zijin Dong & Lisan Li & Wangjun Li & Shicheng Li, 2023. "More Urban Elderly Care Facilities Should Be Placed in Densely Populated Areas for an Aging Wuhan of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, January.
    3. Katherine N. Irvine & Daniel Fisher & Melissa R. Marselle & Margaret Currie & Kathryn Colley & Sara L. Warber, 2022. "Social Isolation in Older Adults: A Qualitative Study on the Social Dimensions of Group Outdoor Health Walks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-26, April.
    4. Shaohua Tan & Fengxiao Cao & Jinsu Yang, 2020. "The Study on Spatial Elements of Health-Supportive Environment in Residential Streets Promoting Residents’ Walking Trips," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-33, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Melissa R. Marselle & Katherine N. Irvine & Altea Lorenzo-Arribas & Sara L. Warber, 2014. "Moving beyond Green: Exploring the Relationship of Environment Type and Indicators of Perceived Environmental Quality on Emotional Well-Being following Group Walks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Phoebe R. Maund & Katherine N. Irvine & Jonathan Reeves & Emily Strong & Ruth Cromie & Martin Dallimer & Zoe G. Davies, 2019. "Wetlands for Wellbeing: Piloting a Nature-Based Health Intervention for the Management of Anxiety and Depression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-17, November.
    3. Melissa R. Marselle & Sara L. Warber & Katherine N. Irvine, 2019. "Growing Resilience through Interaction with Nature: Can Group Walks in Nature Buffer the Effects of Stressful Life Events on Mental Health?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-25, March.
    4. Melissa R. Marselle & Katherine N. Irvine & Sara L. Warber, 2013. "Walking for Well-Being: Are Group Walks in Certain Types of Natural Environments Better for Well-Being than Group Walks in Urban Environments?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-26, October.
    5. Tomas Hanell, 2022. "Unmet Aspirations and Urban Malaise," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 83-103, November.
    6. Kroesen, Maarten & van Wee, Bert, 2022. "Understanding how accessibility influences health via active travel: Results from a structural equation model," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    7. Veronika Kalouguina & Joël Wagner, 2020. "How Do Health, Care Services Consumption and Lifestyle Factors Affect the Choice of Health Insurance Plans in Switzerland?," Risks, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-21, April.
    8. Nicholas A. Mailloux & Colleen P. Henegan & Dorothy Lsoto & Kristen P. Patterson & Paul C. West & Jonathan A. Foley & Jonathan A. Patz, 2021. "Climate Solutions Double as Health Interventions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-15, December.
    9. Yang, Yongjiang & Sasaki, Kuniaki & Cheng, Long & Tao, Sui, 2022. "Does the built environment matter for active travel among older adults: Insights from Chiba City, Japan," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    10. Himani Mishra & M. Venkatesan, 2023. "Psychological Well-being of Employees, its Precedents and Outcomes: A Literature Review and Proposed Framework," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 48(1), pages 7-41, February.
    11. Norwood, Patricia & Eberth, Barbara & Farrar, Shelley & Anable, Jillian & Ludbrook, Anne, 2014. "Active travel intervention and physical activity behaviour: An evaluation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 50-58.
    12. Sakari Kainulainen, 2022. "Concurrent Assessments of Individuals’ Affect and Contentment and the Correlation of these Estimates to Overall Happiness at Specific Moments," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(5), pages 3151-3174, October.
    13. Yeran Sun & Amin Mobasheri, 2017. "Utilizing Crowdsourced Data for Studies of Cycling and Air Pollution Exposure: A Case Study Using Strava Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-19, March.
    14. Loraine Lavallee & P. Hatch & Alex Michalos & Tara McKinley, 2007. "Development of the Contentment with Life Assessment Scale (CLAS): Using Daily Life Experiences to Verify Levels of Self-Reported Life Satisfaction," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 83(2), pages 201-244, September.
    15. Véronique Dagenais-Desmarais & André Savoie, 2012. "What is Psychological Well-Being, Really? A Grassroots Approach from the Organizational Sciences," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 659-684, August.
    16. Sabrina Intelisano & Julia Krasko & Maike Luhmann, 2020. "Integrating Philosophical and Psychological Accounts of Happiness and Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 161-200, January.
    17. Craig A. Talmage & Chad Frederick, 2019. "Quality of Life, Multimodality, and the Demise of the Autocentric Metropolis: A Multivariate Analysis of 148 Mid-Size U.S. Cities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(1), pages 365-390, January.
    18. Hanna Weimann & Jonas Björk & Carita Håkansson, 2019. "Experiences of the Urban Green Local Environment as a Factor for Well-Being among Adults: An Exploratory Qualitative Study in Southern Sweden," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-14, July.
    19. Elliott P. Flowers & Anna Timperio & Kylie D. Hesketh & Jenny Veitch, 2019. "Examining the Features of Parks That Children Visit During Three Stages of Childhood," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-10, May.
    20. Anna Hansson & Pernilla Hillerås & Yvonne Forsell, 2005. "Well-Being in an Adult Swedish Population," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 313-325, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:7:p:2515-:d:342224. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.