Restoration, well-being, and everyday physical activity in indoor, built outdoor and natural outdoor settings

Abstract

Physical activity in natural settings has been found in experimental research to be more restorative than physical activity in built indoor or outdoor settings, yet we lack evidence of this in everyday life. In this study we examined recalled restoration (with the 9-item Restoration Outcome Scale) of the most recent physical activity session in indoor, built outdoor and natural outdoor settings using measurement invariance tests (n = 2577). We also compared the relationships between restoration, emotional well-being and frequency of physical activity in these groups. Recalled restoration formed two factors, Restorativeness and Assurance, in all groups, with equal loadings but partly varying item-specific means. Restorativeness was positively connected to emotional well-being in all settings but it did not explain the connection between well-being and physical activity in natural settings. Future studies could explore in more detail how emotional well-being and repeated restoration in different types of environments intertwine.