Assessment of Subjective Well-Being in a Cohort of University Students and Staff Members: Association with Physical Activity and Outdoor Leisure Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Stefano Quarta, Annalisa Levante, María-Teresa García-Conesa, Flavia Lecciso, Egeria Scoditti, Maria Annunziata Carluccio, Nadia Calabriso, Fabrizio Damiano, Giuseppe Santarpino, Tiziano Verri, Paula Pinto, Luisa Siculella and Marika Massaro
Additional contact information
Stefano Quarta: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DISTEBA), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Annalisa Levante: Department of History, Society, and Human Studies, University of Salento, Via di Valesio, 73100 Lecce, Italy
María-Teresa García-Conesa: Research Group on Quality, Safety and Bioactivity of Plant Foods, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada 40 del Segura-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CEBAS-CSIC), Campus de Espinardo, P.O. Box 164, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Flavia Lecciso: Department of History, Society, and Human Studies, University of Salento, Via di Valesio, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Egeria Scoditti: Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), National Research Council (CNR), 73100 Lecce, Italy
Maria Annunziata Carluccio: Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), National Research Council (CNR), 73100 Lecce, Italy
Nadia Calabriso: Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), National Research Council (CNR), 73100 Lecce, Italy
Fabrizio Damiano: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DISTEBA), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Giuseppe Santarpino: Cardiovascular Center, Paracelsus Medical University, 90471 Nuremberg, Germany
Tiziano Verri: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DISTEBA), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Paula Pinto: Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Escola Superior Agraria, 2001-904 Santarem, Portugal
Luisa Siculella: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DISTEBA), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Marika Massaro: Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC), National Research Council (CNR), 73100 Lecce, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-26

Abstract: Time spent outdoors and physical activity (PA) promote mental health. To confirm this relationship in the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdowns, we explored individual levels of anxiety, depression, stress and subjective well-being (SWB) in a cohort of academic students and staff members and tested their association with sport practice, PA at leisure time and time spent outdoors. Our cross-sectional study collected data during the COVID-19 outbreak (April–May 2021) on 939 students and on 238 employees, who completed an online survey on sociodemographic and lifestyle features, depression, anxiety, stress, and SWB. Results showed that the students exhibited higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, and lower levels of SWB ( p < 0.001 for all domains) compared to the staff members. Correlation analysis confirmed that PA and time spent in nature were associated to high mental health scores among staff and, more consistently, among students. Finally, mediation analyses indicated that the time spent in nature, social relationships, and levels of energy play a mediator role in the relationship between sport practice and SWB. Our evidence reinforces the protective role of time spent in nature in improving mental health, and provides support for policymakers to make appropriate choices for a better management of COVID-19 pandemic consequences.

Keywords: subjective well-being (SWB); distress; mental health; general health; quality of life; social relationship; sport practice; time spent in nature (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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