Examining the dose-response relationship between outdoor jogging and physical health of youths: A long-term experimental study in campus green space
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2022
Abstract
Many studies have demonstrated that outdoor physical activity positively affects the physical health of young people. Here, we aimed to examine the extent to which outdoor jogging was associated with the physical health of youths, and then to decipher whether a dose-response relationship exists between them. A total of 2852 youths from a Chinese university were enrolled in a long-term experimental study between September 2018 and September 2019. We conducted two waves of physical health tests for 2852 youths (before and after the jogging interventions in 2018 and 2019, respectively) using China's National Student Physical Health Standard (NSPHS). Paired t-tests were used to examine statistical differences. A multiple regression model was used to evaluate the associations between jogging and physical health. The results showed that: statistically significant changes in the two waves of physical health outcomes were suggested after jogging interventions; outdoor jogging in campus green space was associated with participants' physical health after controlling for covariates; and a dose-response relationship between jogging and physical health outcomes was revealed, with 120-140 km/year (approximately 3.43-4 km/week) being the most effective intervention dose. Our findings have implications for promoting physical health in youth groups by encouraging outdoor physical activity.
Keywords
Campus green space, Outdoor physical activity, Physical health, Activity tracker, Physical activity intervention, Natural experiment
Divisions
aei
Funders
Jiangsu Province University Philosophy and Social Science Research Project (Grant No: 2021SJA0144),Jiangsu Province College Students Innovation Training Program Provincial Key Project (Grant No: 202110298037Z)
Publication Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume
19
Issue
9
Publisher
MDPI
Publisher Location
ST ALBAN-ANLAGE 66, CH-4052 BASEL, SWITZERLAND