Associations of reported access to public green space, physical activity and subjective wellbeing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Access to green space and physical activity have both been shown to be associated with individuals’ subjective wellbeing. The present study explored the role of physical activity in the association between reported access to public green space and subjective wellbeing at two distinct timepoints during (12 months after the beginning of) and after (24 months after the beginning of) the COVID-19 pandemic. This study made use of the longitudinal COPE dataset involving a series of online surveys administered to a cohort throughout the pandemic. A series of linear regression models revealed small but significant associations between reported access to public green space on the one hand and physical activity and subjective wellbeing on the other. The analyses further showed that physical activity partly mediates the relationship between reported access to public green space and subjective wellbeing at both the 12-month and 24-month timepoints. Physical activity and subjective wellbeing were higher at the 24-month than at the 12-month timepoint, but reported access to public green space did not play a role in these changes. Evidence was found that the increase in subjective wellbeing from 12 to 24 months can partly be explained by a change in physical activity.