Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria
Social restriction measures (SRM) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in time spent outdoors (TSO). The aim of this study was to describe TSO and evaluate its association with sleep outcomes, optimism, happiness and health-status before and during SRM. Two online surveys were...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Clocks & Sleep |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/5/3/27 |
| _version_ | 1797580755206930432 |
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| author | Simon Schamilow Isabel Santonja Jakob Weitzer Susanne Strohmaier Gerhard Klösch Stefan Seidel Eva Schernhammer Kyriaki Papantoniou |
| author_facet | Simon Schamilow Isabel Santonja Jakob Weitzer Susanne Strohmaier Gerhard Klösch Stefan Seidel Eva Schernhammer Kyriaki Papantoniou |
| author_sort | Simon Schamilow |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social restriction measures (SRM) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in time spent outdoors (TSO). The aim of this study was to describe TSO and evaluate its association with sleep outcomes, optimism, happiness and health-status before and during SRM. Two online surveys were conducted in 2017 (N = 1004) and 2020, during SRM (N = 1010), in samples representative of the age, sex and region of the Austrian population. Information on the duration of TSO, sleep, optimism, happiness and health-status was collected. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to study the association of TSO with chronic insomnia, short sleep, late chronotype, optimism, happiness and self-rated health-status. The mean TSO was 3.6 h (SD: 2.18) in 2017 and 2.6 h (SD: 1.87) during times of SRM. Men and participants who were older, married or in a partnership and lived in a rural area reported longer TSO. Participants who spent less time outdoors were more likely to report short sleep or a late chronotype in both surveys and, in 2020, also chronic insomnia. Less TSO was associated with lower happiness and optimism levels and poor health-status. Our findings suggest that TSO may be a protective factor for sleep, mood and health, particularly during stressful and uncertain times. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:54:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c33f2f3633b420d9f8fe19cd9c894fc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-5175 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T22:54:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clocks & Sleep |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c33f2f3633b420d9f8fe19cd9c894fc2023-11-19T10:06:06ZengMDPI AGClocks & Sleep2624-51752023-06-015335837210.3390/clockssleep5030027Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in AustriaSimon Schamilow0Isabel Santonja1Jakob Weitzer2Susanne Strohmaier3Gerhard Klösch4Stefan Seidel5Eva Schernhammer6Kyriaki Papantoniou7Department of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, AustriaSocial restriction measures (SRM) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in time spent outdoors (TSO). The aim of this study was to describe TSO and evaluate its association with sleep outcomes, optimism, happiness and health-status before and during SRM. Two online surveys were conducted in 2017 (N = 1004) and 2020, during SRM (N = 1010), in samples representative of the age, sex and region of the Austrian population. Information on the duration of TSO, sleep, optimism, happiness and health-status was collected. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models were used to study the association of TSO with chronic insomnia, short sleep, late chronotype, optimism, happiness and self-rated health-status. The mean TSO was 3.6 h (SD: 2.18) in 2017 and 2.6 h (SD: 1.87) during times of SRM. Men and participants who were older, married or in a partnership and lived in a rural area reported longer TSO. Participants who spent less time outdoors were more likely to report short sleep or a late chronotype in both surveys and, in 2020, also chronic insomnia. Less TSO was associated with lower happiness and optimism levels and poor health-status. Our findings suggest that TSO may be a protective factor for sleep, mood and health, particularly during stressful and uncertain times.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/5/3/27time spent outdoorsdaylightsleepchronic insomniachronotypeoptimism |
| spellingShingle | Simon Schamilow Isabel Santonja Jakob Weitzer Susanne Strohmaier Gerhard Klösch Stefan Seidel Eva Schernhammer Kyriaki Papantoniou Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria Clocks & Sleep time spent outdoors daylight sleep chronic insomnia chronotype optimism |
| title | Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria |
| title_full | Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria |
| title_fullStr | Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria |
| title_short | Time Spent Outdoors and Associations with Sleep, Optimism, Happiness and Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria |
| title_sort | time spent outdoors and associations with sleep optimism happiness and health before and during the covid 19 pandemic in austria |
| topic | time spent outdoors daylight sleep chronic insomnia chronotype optimism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/5/3/27 |
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