Institute of Sports Science, Key Lab of Physical Fitness Evaluation and Motor Function Monitoring of General Administration of Sports of China, College of Physical Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 24;18(1):90. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18010090.
Nighttime walking is becoming a popular exercise for many middle-aged and older people in Asian countries. However, the health benefits of nighttime walking in urban areas and green spaces are still unclear. This study evaluated the physiological and psychological responses of 48 middle-aged and older people who walked 1.6 km through a green space and an urban area during daytime and nighttime. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Profile of Mood States (POMS), Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), and Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS) were employed to measure the psychological responses, and pulse rate and blood pressure (SBP, DBP and MAP) were measured to evaluate the physiological responses. The results showed that the daytime green walking induced psychological improvements and lowered blood pressure ( < 0.05), while the daytime urban walking resulted in slight deterioration of all the measured parameters ( > 0.05). On the other hand, the nighttime green walking induced lowered blood pressure ( < 0.05), whilst the nighttime urban walking resulted in psychological improvements and lowered blood pressure ( < 0.05), and no significant difference was found in any measured parameter between the two nighttime walking groups. In conclusion, urban areas are noisy and irritating in the daytime, and not suitable for walking, but may become pleasurable and attractive at night. The psychological benefits of green walking may decrease at night, and nighttime walking in either an urban area or a green space may achieve similar health benefits. Therefore, we recommend that urban citizens start nighttime walking in a green space or an urban area to keep fit when the air is less polluted.
夜间散步在亚洲许多中年和老年人中越来越流行。然而，在城市地区和绿地进行夜间散步的健康益处尚不清楚。本研究评估了 48 名中年和老年人在白天和夜间分别穿过绿地和城市地区行走 1.6 公里时的生理和心理反应。采用正性和负性情绪量表（PANAS）、心境状态问卷（POMS）、恢复性量表（PRS）和恢复效果量表（ROS）来测量心理反应，并用脉搏率和血压（SBP、DBP 和 MAP）来评估生理反应。结果表明，白天在绿地行走会引起心理改善并降低血压（<0.05），而白天在城市行走则会导致所有测量参数略有恶化（>0.05）。另一方面，夜间在绿地行走会引起血压降低（<0.05），而夜间在城市行走则会引起心理改善和血压降低（<0.05），且两个夜间行走组之间的任何测量参数均无显着差异。总之，城市地区在白天嘈杂刺激，不适合行走，但在夜间可能会变得愉悦和吸引人。绿地行走的心理益处可能会在夜间减少，而在城市地区或绿地进行夜间行走可能会获得类似的健康益处。因此，我们建议城市居民在空气污染较少的时候开始在绿地或城市地区进行夜间散步以保持健康。
