A Nature-Based Intervention for Promoting Physical Activity in Older Adults: A Qualitative Study Using the COM-B Model (Armita)
This research paper was published in 2024 and specifically focuses on outdoor-based walking interventions that encourage physical activity among older adults. It specifically uses the COM-B model, where Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation lead to a given Behaviour. The researchers conducted a 12-week walking program in rural Scotland, motivated by understanding the antecedent and emergent properties affecting behaviour change. The study found that group outdoor walks in particular increase physical and psychological capability while boosting social and physical opportunities. Importantly, these changes persisted after the end of the intervention. This study illustrates that programs that incorporate both a social and outdoor component can be quite effective in promoting physical activity.
Efficacy of a theory-based and tailored mHealth intervention promoting walking behavior: a preliminary randomized controlled trial (Armita)
This research paper was published quite recently, in July 2025, and focuses on the use of a mobile health intervention designed to promote walking among physically inactive adults. They specifically use the HAPA model (Health Action Process Approach), which focuses on motivational (self-efficacy) and volitional (implementing and maintaining the behaviour) factors. In a 30-day randomized controlled trial, they assigned 193 participants to 1) tailored HAPA-based messages, 2) non-tailored messages focused on well-being, or 3) no messages. All participants engaged in goal-setting and self-monitoring via a mobile app. Interestingly, the results found increased physical activity across all three groups, indicating the role that goal-setting and self-monitoring can play. Toward the end of the intervention, those who were receiving HAPA-based messages demonstrated more sustained improvements. The study illustrates the importance of motivational and psychological factors, digital tools, and self-monitoring in promoting long-term behaviour change, with potential added value from tailored communication.
Nurtured by Nature (Ben)
This research article from the APA published originally in 2020 but last updated in 2025 describes the evidence-backed positive impacts of spending time in nature on mental health. Interestingly, it is not just time outside in nature that is correlated with increased positive mood, but also self-described strength of connection to nature. This implies a solution that builds a mental connection with nature could be effective in improving mood and bringing participants outside more. In addition, the research article provides a multitude of useful citations, including one that suggests 120 minutes of time outdoors a week may be a productive target for improving mental health.
Influences of Outdoor Experiences During Childhood on Time Spent in Nature as an Adult (Ben)
This research paper published in 2024 focuses on the causative link between spending time in nature during childhood on the propensity to spend time in nature as an adult. This provides insight into how to encourage people to spend time outdoors, they find that time in nature in childhood creates a continued habitual behavior of spending time outdoors. This validates the approach of pushing people to spend time outdoors a few times in order to create a habit that continues past the initial nudge. Activities that build connection to nature, such as camping or backpacking, seem particularly effective from this study, providing new ideas for how to change behavior.
“If It’s not on Strava it Didn’t Happen”: Perceived Psychosocial Implications of Strava use in Collegiate Club Runners (Ben)
This research paper published in 2022 focuses specifically on the impact of Strava, an app to track physical activity with a focus on running. It looks at college students, which is particularly relevant for our research. They find that Strava effectively uses social pressure and presentation of self to social peer groups to motivate users to run more, but are potentially utilizing harmful mechanisms that could influence mental health. More specifically, Strava creates a potentially unhealthy level of social pressure to keep up a running streak due to the social accountability the app enforces. While this may cause users to run more, it also may negatively impact mental health, which provides an insight for us to be careful to understand how our mechanisms of behavior change work and the broader impact they have on wellbeing beyond the amount of time outdoors.
Kudos make you run! How runners influence each other on the online social network Strava (Ben)
This research article published in 2022 focuses on the impact of Kudos on Strava, an app to track physical activity with a focus on running. Specifically, it finds that Kudos act as an effective social nudge from peers to increase the frequency and duration of running time. It offers a research-backed approach for us to increase the amount of time people spend outside by creating a reward that utilizes social feedback. Furthermore, the concept of pairing individuals who give kudos directly to each other as a form of social accountability to maintain a habit was shown to be quite effective, which may be a creative method of behavior change for our project as well.
Kudos and K.O.M.’s: The Effect of Strava Use on Evaluations of Social and Managerial Conditions, Perceptions of Ecological Impacts, and Mountain Bike Spatial Behavior (Ben)
This dissertation published in 2020 focuses primarily on mountain bikers who use Strava instead of runners. Specifically, it analyzes the “spatial data” – GPS data – of these mountain bikers along with their self-reported responses. A significant though easily overlooked insight from this work was that Mountain Bikers had significantly different responses from other activity types. It suggests that proto personas may be productive to construct around different activities depending on the data and behavioral preferences we see from the diary studies.
Attitudes, Habits, and Behavior Change (Tina)
This article examines the interplay between attitudes and habits in the context of behavior change. While many interventions focus on shifting evaluative mindsets, the authors argue that automatic habits often act as a barrier to sustained progress by overriding conscious intentions. The text outlines how strong attitudes can initiate new behaviors, which then become durable through repetition in stable environments. Once established, these habits function via a habit architecture that shields individuals from stress and distraction but also makes undesirable actions difficult to break. To improve social policies, the authors suggest leveraging habit discontinuities, such as major life changes, and utilizing strategic planning to disrupt old cues. Ultimately, the source advocates for integrating motivation with context-based strategies to move beyond temporary shifts and achieve lasting behavioral transformation.
The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes (Tina)
This article evaluates the impact of greenspace exposure on a wide variety of physical health outcomes. By analyzing 143 studies covering over 290 million people, researchers found that proximity to nature significantly correlates with reduced stress markers like salivary cortisol and improved cardiovascular metrics such as heart rate and blood pressure. The data also suggests that living near green areas lowers the risk of type II diabetes, preterm births, and all-cause mortality. While the findings indicate substantial well-being benefits, the authors note that results are sometimes limited by high study heterogeneity and varying quality. Ultimately, the report advocates for urban planning strategies that prioritize accessible parks and greenery to combat socioeconomic health inequalities.
Acute mental health benefits of urban nature (Anthony)
This Nature Cities article synthesizes the evidence on the extent to which urban nature improves mental health. The authors systematically review 449 peer-reviewed studies and run a meta-analysis on 78 field-based experiments, quantifying effects across 12 mental health outcomes. Overall, exposure to urban nature is associated with meaningful improvements in well-being, with urban green spaces (especially parks and urban forests) showing the clearest benefits for reducing negative mood states like anxiety and depression and improving broader mental well-being. The paper also reports that effects are most pronounced for young adults, while still remaining consistently positive across age groups This supports the idea that protecting and expanding accessible urban nature can function as a scalable public-health intervention in cities
Campus Nature Rx: How investing in nature interventions benefits college students (Anthony)
Published in 2022, this paper outlines “Campus Nature Rx” as a pragmatic, prevention-oriented approach to addressing the growing mental health burden on U.S. college campuses. Rather than testing a single intervention, the authors describe the growing Campus Nature Rx (CNRx) Network (originating in 2019 and expanding to 50+ U.S. institutions at the time) and organize campus strategies into categories like nature prescriptions through health services, green infrastructure improvements, interactive campus greenspace maps, curricular offerings, communications, and nature-based activities. The article highlights why campuses are a uniquely “high-leverage” setting: nature engagement can be integrated into student routines via short, low-barrier exposures (e.g., brief microbreaks, short walks) while also reducing strain on counseling systems by complementing clinical care with scalable environmental and behavioral supports.
Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence (Philippe)
This narrative review was published in 2021 and synthesizes a decade of research on the relationship between nature exposure and health, drawing on theoretical frameworks like the biophilia hypothesis, Attention Restoration Theory, and Stress Reduction Theory. The researchers found evidence linking nature exposure to improved cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health, physical activity, and sleep quality. Importantly, the review highlights the “equigenic effect”, evidence that nature exposure disproportionately benefits disadvantaged populations, potentially reducing health inequalities. The review also identifies key gaps in the literature, including inconsistent definitions of “nature exposure” and insufficient research on optimal dose (duration and frequency).
Minimum Time Dose in Nature to Positively Impact the Mental Health of College-Aged Students, and How to Measure It: A Scoping Review (Philippe)
This scoping review was published in 2020 and specifically targets college students which are a population experiencing unprecedented levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. After screening nearly 11,000 titles, the researchers included 14 studies and found that as little as 10-20 minutes of sitting or walking in green spaces produces measurable reductions in stress, anger, and anxiety compared to equivalent time in urban settings. The findings support low-barrier interventions: students don’t need extended wilderness experiences, and even brief campus green space exposure is effective. This connects to emerging “NatureRx” programs at universities where practitioners prescribe nature time as part of students’ health records.
