Trial reportPloS one2017
Affective responses in mountain hiking-A randomized crossover trial focusing on differences between indoor and outdoor activity.
Trial report in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 51 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Affective Responses in Mountain Hiking: A Randomized Controlled Trial Focusing on Differences Between Indoor and Outdoor Activity
Effects of Mountain Hiking on Physiological and Psychological Health Parameters With Special Focus on the Influence of the Environment
Importance of Sock Type in the Development of Foot Lesions on Low-difficulty, Short Hikes
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 126 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nature-based and technology-assisted exercise for cognitive and mobility outcomes in older adults: a systematic review of randomized trials.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of green exercise on mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of green space on physical activity and body weight status among Chinese adults: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- What Intervention Techniques Are Effective in Changing Positive Affective Variables and Physical Activity? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- Can Positive Affective Variables Mediate Intervention Effects on Physical Activity? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Pooled it
- Psycho-Physiological Stress Recovery in Outdoor Nature-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of the Past Eight Years of Research.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- The Effects of Green Exercise on Physical and Mental Wellbeing: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- Acute effects of outdoor and indoor walking on cigarette cravings, withdrawal symptoms and affective response during temporary smoking abstinence.Psychopharmacology · 2024Trial
- Effects of a randomized controlled hiking intervention on daily activities, sleep, and stress among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC public health · 2023Trial
- A randomized controlled trial of surf and hike therapy for U.S. active duty service members with major depressive disorder.BMC psychiatry · 2023Trial
- Sustainability of Hiking in Combination with Coaching in Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Quality of Life.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Intention to Engage in Mountain Sport During the Summer Season in Climate Change Affected Environments.Frontiers in public health · 2022Trial
- Acute Effects of a Short Bout of Physical Activity on Cognitive Function in Sport Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Intention to Engage in Winter Sport in Climate Change Affected Environments.Frontiers in public health · 2020Trial
- Winter Exercise Reduces Allergic Airway Inflammation: A Randomized Controlled Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Trial
- A Randomized Crossover Trial on Acute Stress-Related Physiological Responses to Mountain Hiking.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2017Trial
- Sleep quality and psychological interactions in endurance and ultra-endurance trail runners: A prospective cross-sectional study.The Journal of international medical research · 2026Article
- Residual depression symptoms following nature-based exercise therapies among U.S. service members.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Randomized trial of a digital therapeutics intervention to enhance affective response during physical activity: Protocol for the eMOTION study.Contemporary clinical trials · 2025Article
- Relationships between outdoor physical activity, health-related quality of life, and sleep in 8-to-12-year-old children: an exploratory study.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAffective responses during physical activity (PA) are important for engagement in PA programs and for adherence to a physically active lifestyle. Little is known about the affective responses to PA bouts lasting longer than 45 minutes. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to analyse acute effects on affective responses of a three-hour outdoor PA intervention (mountain hiking) compared to a sedentary control situation and to an indoor treadmill condition.
methodsUsing a randomized crossover design, 42 healthy participants were randomly exposed to three different conditions: outdoor mountain hiking, indoor treadmill walking, and sedentary control situation (approximately three hours each). Measures included the Feeling Scale, Felt Arousal Scale and a Mood Survey Scale. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyse differences between the conditions.
resultsCompared to the control situation, the participants showed a significant increase in affective valence (d = 1.21, p < .001), activation (d = 0.81, p = .004), elation (d = 1.07, p < .001), and calmness (d = 0.84, p = .004), and a significant decrease in fatigue (d = -1.19, p < .001) and anxiety (d = -.79, p < .001) after mountain hiking. Outdoor mountain hiking showed significantly greater positive effects on affective valence, activation, and fatigue compared to indoor treadmill walking. DISCUSSION: The results indicate that a three-hour PA intervention (mountain hiking) elicits higher positive and lower negative affective responses compared to a sedentary control situation and to an indoor PA condition. Outdoor mountain hiking can be recommended by health professionals as a form of PA with the potential to positively influence affective responses.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02853760. https://clinicaltrials.gov/. Date of registration: 08/02/2016 (retrospectively registered). Date of enrolment of the first participant to the trial: 05/01/2014.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.