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Background Recently, a decreasing trend has been observed in the frequency and duration of outdoor activity among children, which has garnered concern regarding the potential impacts of this decline during mental health in early childhood. Currently, the association between outdoor activity in early childhood and the symptoms of anxiety disorders in preschoolers remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the frequency and duration of outdoor activity in children aged 0–1 and 1–3 years and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 using questionnaires, included 69,571 preschoolers residing in Longhua District, Shenzhen. Data on family social demographics, outdoor activity frequency and duration in children aged 0–3 years, and the anxiety symptoms of preschoolers were collected through parent-completed questionnaires. Anxiety symptoms were measured using the Chinese version of the Spence Preschool Anxiety Scale (SPAS), which assesses symptoms across various dimensions. The association between early childhood outdoor activity and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers was analyzed using a binary logistic regression model. Results Children 0–1 years of age who were outdoors < 1 times/week had a higher risk of screening positive for anxiety symptoms in preschool age compared with children who were outdoors ≥ 7 times/week (OR = 2.55, 95% confidence interval(CI): 2.22–2.94). Children in this age group who were outdoors < 30 min/session had a higher risk of screening positive for anxiety symptoms in preschool age compared with children who were outdoors ≥ 120 min/ session (OR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.38–1.90). Children 1–3 years of age, who were outdoors < 1 time/week had a higher risk of screening positive for anxiety symptoms in preschool age compared with children who were outdoors ≥ 7 times/week, (OR = 3.10, 95%CI: 2.72–3.54). Children in this age group who were outdoors for < 30 min/session had a higher risk of screening positive for anxiety symptoms in preschool age compared with children who were outdoors time ≥ 120 min/ session (OR = 2.07, 95%CI: 1.73–2.48). Conclusion Lower frequency and shorter duration of outdoor activity during infancy (0–1 and 1–3 years) had higher odds of screening positive for anxiety symptoms in preschoolers. A frequency of ≥ 7 outdoor activity per week and a duration of ≥ 120 min/session during infancy were associated with lower levels of anxiety symptoms in preschoolers.These findings provide actionable insights for parents and caregivers, highlighting the importance of promoting outdoor activity in early childhood care and parenting practices. Future studies should further explore the causal relationship between outdoor activity and the prevention of anxiety.

Background: With rapid urbanization, mental health challenges such as depression and emotional distress are becoming increasingly common. Contact with natural environments has been shown to improve mental health, yet most studies focus on direct associations between environmental exposure and mental health. The behavioral mechanisms underlying these benefits remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate whether outdoor activity frequency mediates the relationship between individuals’ intention to engage in outdoor activities and depressive mood. Methods: We used data from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and supported by Stress Recovery Theory (SRT) and Attention Restoration Theory (ART), we constructed a mediation model. Ordinary Least Squares regression, ordered logistic regression, and mediation analysis were applied to assess the relationships among outdoor activity intention, activity frequency, and depressive mood. Results: The analyses revealed three main findings. First, outdoor activity intention alone did not directly reduce depressive mood. Second, outdoor activity frequency significantly alleviated depressive mood, suggesting that actual behavioral engagement with nature is critical. Third, the effect of outdoor activity intention on depressive mood was fully mediated by activity frequency. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that the mental health benefits of natural environments are not automatically derived from intention or preference but require active and frequent engagement. These findings provide empirical support for behavior-based interventions in urban mental health strategies and establish a theoretical foundation for future research on the pathways linking nature and mental health.

Objective Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, frequently persisting into adolescence and adulthood. It is associated with a wide range of comorbid psychiatric and behavioral conditions. While emerging evidence suggests that social and environmental factors may influence the development and expression of ADHD symptoms, large-scale studies incorporating longitudinal data on early-life environmental exposures remain limited. Given the cross-sectional design of this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency and duration of outdoor activities among preschool children during infancy (0–1 years) and toddlerhood (1–3 years), and to examine their associations with ADHD symptoms. Methods A retrospective observational study was conducted using data collected from parents of children enrolled in 250 kindergartens across Longhua District, Shenzhen, China. A total of 59,600 questionnaires were distributed, assessing sociodemographic characteristics, outdoor activities frequency and duration. ADHD symptoms were evaluated using the hyperactivity/inattention subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results A total of 55,528 valid questionnaires were included in the final analysis. The overall prevalence of ADHD symptoms was 6.9%. Boys exhibited significantly higher ADHD symptom scores compared to girls (3.76 ± 1.96 vs. 3.42 ± 1.87, P  < 0.001). Children from households with lower monthly income demonstrated higher ADHD symptom scores than those from higher-income families ( F  = 261.478, P  < 0.001). There was a significant association between higher frequency and duration of outdoor activities and lower ADHD symptoms scores ( P  < 0.001). Conclusion Increased frequency and duration of outdoor activities during early childhood were associated with reduced ADHD symptoms in children. These findings suggest a potential association between early exposure to outdoor activities and lower levels of ADHD symptoms, particularly in densely populated urban areas where access to green spaces is limited. However, additional research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and long-term associations of early childhood outdoor activities with ADHD symptoms and other developmental outcomes.

In the post-pandemic era, outdoor jogging has become an increasingly popular form of exercise due to the growing emphasis on health. It is essential to comprehensively analyze the factors influencing the spatial distribution of outdoor jogging activities and to propose planning strategies with practical guidance. Using multi-source geospatial big data and multiple models, this study constructs a comprehensive analytical framework to examine the association between environmental variables and the frequency of outdoor jogging activities in Guangzhou. Firstly, outdoor jogging trajectory data were collected from a fitness app, and potential influencing factors were selected based on multi-source big data from the perspectives of the built environment, street perception, and natural environment. For example, using the street-view imagery, objective environmental elements such as greenery and subjective elements such as safety perception were extracted from a human-centric perspective. Secondly, the framework included three models: a backward stepwise regression, an optimal parameters-based geographical detector, and a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. These models served, to screen significant variables, identify the synergistic effects among the variables, and quantify the spatial heterogeneity of the effects, respectively. Finally, the study area was clustered based on the results of the GWR model to propose urban planning strategies with clear spatial positions and practical significance. The results indicated the following: (1) Factors related to the built environment and street perception significantly influence jogging frequency distribution. (2) Public sports facilities, the level of greenery, and safety perception were identified as key factors influencing jogging activities, representing the three aspects of service facilities, objective perception, and subjective perception, respectively. (3) Specifically, the influence of each factor on jogging activities displayed significant spatial variation. For instance, sports facilities and greenery level were positively correlated with jogging frequency in the city center. (4) Lastly, the study area was divided into four clusters, each representing different local associative characteristics between variables and jogging activities. The zonal planning recommendations have significant implications for urban planners and policymakers aiming to create jogging-friendly environments.

Background In children physical activity has been shown to be associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study further explores this association for specific characteristics of sports participation, namely membership of a sports club, frequency of sports participation, performing individual versus team sports, performing indoor versus outdoor sports, while differentiating between specific dimensions in the physical, psychological and social domain of HRQoL. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from Dutch primary school children aged 10 to 12 years. They completed the Movement and Sports Monitor Questionnaire Youth aged 8 to 12 years (MSMQ) and the KIDSCREEN-52, an HRQoL questionnaire for children and adolescents. The data were examined using linear multilevel analyses because of the clustering of children in schools. Results The questionnaires were completed by 1876 children (response rate 81.3%). Membership of a sports club, moderate or high frequency of sports participation, and performing outdoor sports were all significantly associated with better HRQoL. These associations were largely found in the physical domain of HRQoL, to a lesser degree in the social domain, and to a limited extent in the psychological domain. Conclusion The association between sports participation and HRQoL in children depends on both characteristics of sports participation and the domain of life that is concerned. These differences offer starting points for developing tailor-made sports programs for children.

The COVID-19 pandemic created an extreme natural experiment in which sudden changes in human behavior and economic activity resulted in significant declines in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, immediately after strict lockdowns were imposed. Here we examined the impact of multiple waves and response phases of the pandemic on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) dynamics and the role of meteorology in shaping relative contributions from different emission sectors to NO2 pollution in post-pandemic New York City. Long term (> 3.5 years), high frequency measurements from a network of ground-based Pandora spectrometers were combined with TROPOMI satellite retrievals, meteorological data, mobility trends, and atmospheric transport model simulations to quantify changes in NO2 across the New York metropolitan area. The stringent lockdown measures after the first pandemic wave resulted in a decline in top-down NOx emissions by approx. 30 % on top of long-term trends, in agreement with sector-specific changes in NOx emissions. Ground-based measurements showed a sudden drop in total column NO2 in spring 2020, by up to 36 % in Manhattan and 19 %–29 % in Queens, New Jersey (NJ), and Connecticut (CT), and a clear weakening (by 16 %) of the typical weekly NO2 cycle. Extending our analysis to more than a year after the initial lockdown captured a gradual recovery in NO2 across the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area in summer and fall 2020, as social restrictions eased, followed by a second decline in NO2 coincident with the second wave of the pandemic and resurgence of lockdown measures in winter 2021. Meteorology was not found to have a strong NO2 biassing effect in New York City after the first pandemic wave. Winds, however, were favorable for low NO2 conditions in Manhattan during the second wave of the pandemic, resulting in larger column NO2 declines than expected based on changes in transportation emissions alone. Meteorology played a key role in shaping the relative contributions from different emission sectors to NO2 pollution in the city, with low-speed (< 5 m s-1) SW-SE winds enhancing contributions from the high-emitting power-generation sector in NJ and Queens and driving particularly high NO2 pollution episodes in Manhattan, even during – and despite – the stringent early lockdowns. These results have important implications for air quality management in New York City, and highlight the value of high resolution NO2 measurements in assessing the effects of rapid meteorological changes on air quality conditions and the effectiveness of sector-specific NOx emission control strategies.

Quantitative indoor monitoring, in a low-invasive and accurate way, is still an unmet need in clinical practice. Indoor environments are more challenging than outdoor environments, and are where patients experience difficulty in performing activities of daily living (ADLs). In line with the recent trends of telemedicine, there is an ongoing positive impulse in moving medical assistance and management from hospitals to home settings. Different technologies have been proposed for indoor monitoring over the past decades, with different degrees of invasiveness, complexity, and capabilities in full-body monitoring. The major classes of devices proposed are inertial-based sensors (IMU), vision-based devices, and geomagnetic and radiofrequency (RF) based sensors. In recent years, among all available technologies, there has been an increasing interest in using RF-based technology because it can provide a more accurate and reliable method of tracking patients’ movements compared to other methods, such as camera-based systems or wearable sensors. Indeed, RF technology compared to the other two techniques has higher compliance, low energy consumption, does not need to be worn, is less susceptible to noise, is not affected by lighting or other physical obstacles, has a high temporal resolution without a limited angle of view, and fewer privacy issues. The aim of the present narrative review was to describe the potential applications of RF-based indoor monitoring techniques and highlight their differences compared to other monitoring technologies.

This study investigates the temporal evolution of nonmandatory trip frequencies in Shanghai over a decade using a temporally adaptive multivariate ordered probit (MOP) model. Two large‐scale travel surveys are pooled, and temporal changes are captured through year dummy interaction terms, year‐specific threshold shifts, and a year‐specific correlation structure. Parameters are estimated using full‐information maximum likelihood estimation with an analytic approximation of multivariate normal cumulative distribution. The findings reveal substantial decade‐long transformations in discretionary mobility. Gender differences narrowed or reversed across several activities; the impact of aging was apparent; occupational constraints persisted; the influence of central‐area residence intensified, reflecting uneven spatial development; and weekend effects weakened, indicating increasingly blurred boundaries between weekday and weekend activity patterns. Correlation patterns across activities also shifted, suggesting changes in trip chaining and time allocation. By developing a unified, temporally adaptive MOP framework capable of jointly capturing structural stability and temporal change, this study provides new empirical evidence on how nonmandatory trip adapts to rapid sociodemographic, economic, and spatial transformations. It offers rare evidence from a major megacity of developing country where activity‐based modeling applications remain limited. These insights support the design of context‐sensitive transportation and land‐use policies.

Despite their successful use in many conscientious studies involving outdoor learning applications, mobile learning systems still have certain limitations. For instance, because students cannot obtain real-time, contextaware content in outdoor locations such as historical sites, endangered animal habitats, and geological landscapes, they are unable to search, collect, share, and edit information by using information technology. To address such concerns, this work proposes an environment of ubiquitous learning with educational resources (EULER) based on radio frequency identification (RFID), augmented reality (AR), the Internet, ubiquitous computing, embedded systems, and database technologies. EULER helps teachers deliver lessons on site and cultivate student competency in adopting information technology to improve learning. To evaluate its effectiveness, we used the proposed EULER for natural science learning at the Guandu Nature Park in Taiwan. The participants were elementary school teachers and students. The analytical results revealed that the proposed EULER improves student learning. Moreover, the largely positive feedback from a post-study survey confirms the effectiveness of EULER in supporting outdoor learning and its ability to attract the interest of students.

Objectives To determine what interventions are effective in promoting cycling, the size of the effects of interventions, and evidence of any associated benefits on overall physical activity or anthropometric measures.Design Systematic review.Data sources Published and unpublished reports in any language identified by searching 13 electronic databases, websites, reference lists, and existing systematic reviews, and papers identified by experts in the field.Review methods Controlled “before and after” experimental or observational studies of the effect of any type of intervention on cycling behaviour measured at either individual or population level.Results Twenty five studies (of which two were randomised controlled trials) from seven countries were included. Six studies examined interventions aimed specifically at promoting cycling, of which four (an intensive individual intervention in obese women, high quality improvements to a cycle route network, and two multifaceted cycle promotion initiatives at town or city level) were found to be associated with increases in cycling. Those studies that evaluated interventions at population level reported net increases of up to 3.4 percentage points in the population prevalence of cycling or the proportion of trips made by bicycle. Sixteen studies assessing individualised marketing of “environmentally friendly” modes of transport to interested households reported modest but consistent net effects equating to an average of eight additional cycling trips per person per year in the local population. Other interventions that targeted travel behaviour in general were not associated with a clear increase in cycling. Only two studies assessed effects of interventions on physical activity; one reported a positive shift in the population distribution of overall physical activity during the intervention.Conclusions Community-wide promotional activities and improving infrastructure for cycling have the potential to increase cycling by modest amounts, but further controlled evaluative studies incorporating more precise measures are required, particularly in areas without an established cycling culture. Studies of individualised marketing report consistent positive effects of interventions on cycling behaviour, but these findings should be confirmed using more robust study designs. Future research should also examine how best to promote cycling in children and adolescents and through workplaces. Whether interventions to promote cycling result in an increase in overall physical activity or changes in anthropometric measures is unclear.