Nature relatedness, nature-based physical activity, and positive mental health among Chinese university students: a three-wave longitudinal study
Article excerpt
BackgroundUniversity students face increasing challenges in maintaining positive mental health, and nature-based approaches have received growing attention as accessible strategies for wellbeing promotion. However, less is known about the behavioral pathway through which nature-related psychological orientations may translate into later…
BackgroundStudents in senior high school face substantial academic demands, prolonged sedentary time, constrained daily routines, and multiple imbalances in health-related behaviors. Their mental health may therefore be shaped by dietary habits, lifestyle, sedentary behavior, physical activity level, and body mass index (BMI). However, within the same school context, it remains unclear which factors, dietary habits, lifestyle habits, sedentary behavior, physical activity level, or BMI, show stronger associations with students' mental health.MethodsThis cross-sectional questionnaire study was based on a school-based questionnaire survey conducted among students aged 15, 17 years from a senior high school in Nanjing, China. Mental health was assessed using the World Health Organization-Five Wellbeing Index (WHO-5). Data on dietary habits, lifestyle, sedentary behavior, physical activity level, and BMI were collected. Correlation analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between these behavioral factors and mental health.ResultsOverall mental health in the sample was moderate. Sedentary time was prolonged, physical activity level was generally low, and dietary patterns were characterized by relatively regular main meals but suboptimal supplementary dietary habits. Correlation analyses showed that mental health was positively correlated with overall dietary habits (r = 0.243, p < 0.01) and overall lifestyle habits (r = 0.279, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with sedentary habits (r = −0.756, p < 0.01), with sedentary habits showing the strongest correlation. In the overall multivariable model, physical activity level was negatively associated with mental health (β = −0.330, p < 0.001), a finding that should be interpreted cautiously because of the cross-sectional design and measurement approach; BMI category was also negatively associated (β = −0.148, p < 0.001), whereas overall dietary habits (β = 0.167, p < 0.001) and overall lifestyle habits (β = 0.248, p < 0.001) were positively associated with mental health. In the dimension-specific model, sedentary habits showed the strongest negative association (β = −0.722, p < 0.001), whereas weekday lifestyle habits (β = 0.168, p < 0.001) and regular meal habits (β = 0.074, p = 0.011) were positive correlates. Supplementary dietary habits (β = 0.050, p = 0.080) and weekend lifestyle habits (β = 0.025, p = 0.421) were not independently significant.ConclusionMental health in senior high school students was closely related to the structure of daily behaviors, with sedentary behavior showing the most prominent adverse association. Compared with focusing solely on increasing exercise, reducing sedentary behavior, optimizing weekday routines, and maintaining regular main meals may better align with the mental health promotion needs of the school setting.