Well-Being and the Outdoors: An Environmentalism Study Among a Religious Student Population

Abstract

Environmental attitudes (EAs, i.e., overall responsibility or general attitudes toward the environment), environmental behaviors (EBs, i.e., willingness to engage in or change behaviors relating to the environment), and environmental concerns (ECs, i.e., concern about environmental issues) are important variables related to outdoor recreation, health behaviors, mental health, and even religion. For the present study, we aimed to examine the relationship between these variables using an online survey of introductory-level students attending a religious university consisting primarily of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Results were then assessed using linear and stepwise regression analysis. Results indicate a significant positive correlation between EAs with diet quality (i.e., whole grains, vegetables, and fruits: p < .001) and life satisfaction (p = .02) and a negative correlation between EAs and negative affect (p < .001). EBs were correlated positively with having a high-quality diet (i.e., whole grains, vegetables, and fruits: p < .001), exercise behaviors (p = .01), life satisfaction (p = .024), and low levels of negative affect (p = .01). Interestingly, ECs were correlated with high levels of anxiety (p = .001), depressive symptoms (p = .002), perceived stress (p < .001), diet quality (i.e., whole grains: p = .02; vegetables: p = .005; fruits: p < .001), and low levels of life satisfaction (p = .011). Although EAs and EBs tended to correlate mostly with positive outcomes, ECs had several negative results implicating differences between EAs, EBs, and ECs. Thus, religious students were more willing and likely to engage in pro-EBs than previous studies have suggested.