Department of Health Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Department of Food and Animal Sciences, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN 37209, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 10;21(7):899. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070899.
Interacting with nature and a connection to nature (Nature Relatedness [NR]) have been associated with better mental and physical health as well as higher levels of physical activity. However, limited research has explored how interacting with nature and NR may promote healthful dietary behaviors. The purpose of this pilot convergent mixed methods study was to explore the connections between interacting with nature, NR, and dietary choices. For descriptive purposes, we measured participants' ( = 25) interactions with nature, NR (total, experience, perspective, and self) scores, physical activity, and Healthy Eating Index-2020 scores. In-depth interviews ( = 13) explored the factors that influence interacting with nature and food choices. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed separately, and later integrated to yield a more complete understanding of the research inquiry than either form of data would have provided alone. The results from this pilot mixed methods study indicate that there are connections between the variables of interest and that NR may play a pivotal role in how interacting with nature may promote sustainable dietary behaviors. These findings could promote the potential for utilizing nature-based experiences to improve dietary intake.
与大自然互动和与大自然的联系（自然关联性[NR]）与更好的身心健康以及更高水平的身体活动有关。然而，有限的研究探索了与大自然互动和 NR 如何促进健康的饮食行为。本试点收敛混合方法研究的目的是探索与大自然互动、NR 和饮食选择之间的联系。为了描述性目的，我们测量了参与者（= 25）与大自然互动、NR（总分、体验、观点和自我）得分、身体活动和 2020 年健康饮食指数得分。深入访谈（= 13）探讨了影响与大自然互动和食物选择的因素。定量和定性数据分别进行了分析，然后整合在一起，比任何一种形式的数据都能更全面地了解研究调查。这项试点混合方法研究的结果表明，感兴趣的变量之间存在联系，NR 可能在与大自然互动如何促进可持续的饮食行为方面发挥关键作用。这些发现可以促进利用基于自然的体验来改善饮食摄入的潜力。
