Participation in Tourism-Oriented Nature-Based Physical Activity and Compliance With WHO Physical Activity Guidelines: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the 2024 Sports Life Survey in Japan.

BACKGROUND

Nature-based physical activity (NBPA), outdoor sports conducted in natural (green or blue) environments, can simultaneously promote public health and regional tourism.

AIM

This study examined whether participation in tourism-oriented NBPA is associated with (i) attainment of the 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) aerobic activity guidelines, (ii) perceived insufficient exercise, and (iii) self-rated health (SRH) in a nationally representative Japanese sample. We hypothesized that NBPA participants would show higher compliance with WHO physical activity guidelines, more favorable subjective health ratings, and lower perceived exercise insufficiency than non-participants, underscoring NBPA's potential as a public health strategy.

METHODS

This secondary analysis used data from the Sports Life Survey 2024 (unweighted n = 2,896; weighted estimates reported). NBPA was defined as engaging at least once in the previous 12 months in one or more outdoor sports conducted in natural settings. Weighted logistic regression models were estimated in Python 3.11 (pandas 2.2.2, statsmodels 0.14.2, surveyweights 0.7.0; Python Software Foundation, Fredericksburg, VA, US) to compute adjusted odds ratios (Adj-ORs) for each outcome, controlling for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI).

RESULTS

NBPA participation was reported by 68.1% of respondents. NBPA participants had significantly higher odds of meeting the WHO guideline (Adj-OR = 2.38, 95% CI 2.01-2.80, p < 0.001) but showed no significant differences in perceived insufficient exercise (Adj-OR = 0.97, 0.80-1.19) or SRH (Adj-OR = 1.13, 0.95-1.36).

CONCLUSIONS

Even occasional NBPA more than doubles the likelihood of meeting physical activity guidelines; however, infrequent participation does not appear to influence perceived exercise adequacy or overall health status. Public policies promoting regular, sustained NBPA engagement may yield broader health benefits and serve as models for integrating public health and tourism strategies globally.