Relationship between time spent in outdoor recreational areas and stress among parents during the COVID-19 lockdown - A spatial temporal analysis of GPS traces from geographical EMA.

BACKGROUND

The early COVID-19 period, with stay-at-home orders, was particularly stressful for parents. Outdoor recreation areas (ORAs), such as green spaces, may have helped alleviate stress.

AIM: To estimate the association between ORA visits and self-reported stress using geographical ecological momentary assessment (gEMA) with refined multi-sourced ORA boundaries.

METHODS

Self-reported stress was collected from a cohort of 286 participants via EMA three times daily over 14 days, alongside continuous GPS tracking. ORA visit durations were derived by spatio-temporal clustering of GPS tracks. Generalized ordinal logistic regression model supporting partial proportional odds was used to estimate the association between ORA visit duration stress, adjusting for baseline covariates and weather.

RESULTS

A minute-wise increase in ORA visit duration was not significantly associated with stress (Odds Ratio=0.99; 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.00). However, when the duration was categorized, ORA visits lasting between 15 and 35 min were associated with a 40% reduction in the odds of reporting higher stress (95% CI: 10% to 60%). A similar association was observed for shorter ORA visits (≤ 5 min), though the effect varied across stress levels. The odds of reporting higher stress were also associated with whether the parent was with their focal child, parental sex, marital status, work status, the time of day, and weekday/weekend.

CONCLUSION

Spending 15-35 min in ORAs may be optimal for parents to manage stress during challenging periods, such as the stay-at-home phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even brief ORA visits (< 5 min) may help parents experiencing high stress.