Supporting children's wellbeing through outdoor time: opportunities to integrate consistent outdoor time into the elementary school day.

Background: Time in nature supports cognitive, psychological, academic, and health benefits. Outdoor time during school can provide young people with equitable access to these benefits, however, there are within-school constraints. Understanding if and how teachers can frequently and consistently incorporate outdoor time in the schoolyard into their classroom activities can inform broader implementation.

Time Outdoors in Nature to Improve Staff Well-Being: Examining Changes in Behaviors and Motivations Among University Staff in the Use of Natural Outdoor Environments Since the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Work-related stress is of growing concern to employers because of its significant implications for employee dissatisfaction, reduced productivity, and lowered emotional and physical health. Job-related stress is particularly acute among staff members in higher education, negatively impacting the professional work and personal welfare of staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic, stress levels increased, due to work- and non-work-related factors.

A pilot study on the potential for formalized nature-based instruction to mitigate stress and increase social bonds in university students.

To seek to find a way to address stress and build social bonds among U.S. college students, an East Coast private institution and a West Coast state institution each offered an undergraduate Nature Rx course.

Measuring Nature Contact: A Narrative Review.

While many studies suggest evidence for the health benefits of nature, there is currently no standardized method to measure time spent in nature or nature contact, nor agreement on how best to define nature contact in research. The purpose of this review is to summarize how nature contact has been measured in recent health research and provide insight into current metrics of exposure to nature at individual and population scales. The most common methods include surrounding greenness, questionnaires, and global positioning systems (GPS) tracking.

The Potential Correlation Between Nature Engagement in Middle Childhood Years and College Undergraduates' Nature Engagement, Proenvironmental Attitudes, and Stress.

Introduction: Nature engagement (NE) provides myriad psychological and physiological benefits, many of which begin in childhood and continue into adulthood. Research suggests children who have positive experiences with nature are more likely to continue engaging with nature and have more proenvironmental attitudes (PEAs) as adults. Among the benefits of NE are reduced stress, improved sleep, and improved cognitive performance, all essential criteria for healthy undergraduate life.

Minimum Time Dose in Nature to Positively Impact the Mental Health of College-Aged Students, and How to Measure It: A Scoping Review.

Across the U.S., college and university students exhibit high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.