The Connections among Interacting with Nature, Nature Relatedness and Dietary Choices: A Pilot Mixed Methods Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Participants
2.3. Data Collection and Measures
2.4. Data Analysis
2.5. Enhancing Validity and Credibility
3. Results
3.1. Quantitative Results
3.2. Qualitative Results
3.2.1. The Influential Role of Nature Relatedness
3.2.2. Finding Harmony with Oneself
3.2.3. Connecting to Others through Nature
3.3. Integrated Results
4. Discussion
Limitations
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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n = 25 | |
Age (mean ± standard deviation) | 38.00 ± 10.87 |
Gender | |
Male | 8 (32%) |
Female | 17 (68%) |
Race and Ethnicity | |
Asian | 3 (12%) |
Black or African American | 1 (4%) |
Hispanic White | 1 (4%) |
Non-Hispanic White | 20 (80%) |
Education | |
Highschool, GED, or Some college | 2 (8%) |
College graduate | 14 (56%) |
Graduate school | 9 (36%) |
Annual Household income | |
<USD 20,800 | 3 (12%) |
USD 20,800–41,599 | 1 (4%) |
USD 41,600–64,999 | 4 (16%) |
USD 65,000–77,999 | 11 (44%) |
>USD 78,000 | 6 (24%) |
M (SD) | Mdn (IQR) | Range | |
---|---|---|---|
Duration of intentional interactions with nature a | 3.94 (3.26) | 3.00 (2.63) | 15.75 |
Nature Relatedness Total | 3.58 (0.62) | 3.43 (1.07) | 2.33 |
Nature Relatedness Experience | 3.47 (0.73) | 3.50 (1.00) | 3.17 |
Nature Relatedness Perspective | 3.26 (1.06) | 3.50 (2.08) | 3.17 |
Nature Relatedness Self | 3.86 (0.65) | 3.78 (0.89) | 2.67 |
Healthy Eating Index-2020 | 54.48 (10.74) | 54.56 (14.25) | 43.82 |
n | % | ||
Has a view of nature at home (indirect interaction) | 23 | 92 | |
Types of nature in room spent most time in | |||
Plants (incidental interaction) | 15 | 60 | |
Flowers (incidental interaction) | 13 | 52 | |
Pictures of nature (indirect interaction) | 10 | 40 | |
Level of physical activity | |||
Low | 2 | 8 | |
Moderate | 6 | 24 | |
High | 17 | 68 |
Participant | Quantitative Results | Exemplar Quotes | Mixed Methods Interpretation | |
---|---|---|---|---|
07 | HEI-2020 | 63.40 | “I think especially when it comes to things like seafood, like ensuring that it’s like wild caught as opposed to farm raised is important and I think like something that really influences me is trying to buy locally as often as I can. I try to go to farmers markets and buy from local farmers, because I know that even the journey that the food will take up is going to have some type of environmental impact and what farmers end up supplying us tends to be whatever is in season as well, and so I think seasonal foods are also like something that I pay attention to. … I think when it comes to eggs like you know cage free, ensuring that, you know, the chickens are kind of–they have lived like a full life to the extent that I can gather.” “I live in a pretty urban environment … and so I live right across from a park and that was a very important decision to me in like making the decision to live here and in this neighborhood.” “[Nature] has the ability to provide a meditative, self-reflecting quality.” | This participant’s quantitative results were above the sample average. They make specific dietary choices that benefit themselves and believe the dietary choices they make benefit the environment. They value nature, which impacts their daily life and mental wellbeing. |
NR | 4.57 | |||
NR Experience | 3.83 | |||
NR Perspective | 5.00 | |||
NR Self | 4.78 | |||
Duration of intentional interactions with nature | 4 h | |||
30 | HEI-2020 | 46.97 | “I see my schedule would be a huge factor in like also availability of food around me. I feel like I wouldn’t go out of my way to probably grab something healthy in that sense.” “I mean, it sometimes reminds me of when I would go to the park as a child with my parents, or even like picnics with my family or this one time I went on a trip with my sister.” “A lot of times I just sit around on the lawn with my friends. I also walk around the river trail. So, I think that is also nice because it is kind of like an enclosed area with a lot of trees and like the rivers just on the side. Yeah, it’s usually just like sitting or like walking around.” | This participant had HEI-2020, NR Experience, and NR Self scores below the sample average. This participant also spent less time in nature over the previous week than the sample. Their personal schedule was the primary factor in their dietary choices; prioritizing easy to grab and quick foods over healthier options. They spoke about childhood nature experiences that they thought about sometimes when in nature. While the participant was able to identify nature around them and times that they spend in nature, they did not convey a special affinity toward nature or express how nature benefitted them. |
NR | 3.48 | |||
NR Experience | 2.50 | |||
NR Perspective | 4.50 | |||
NR Self | 3.44 | |||
Duration of intentional interactions with nature | 30 min | |||
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Stott, D.; Sharma, C.; Deutsch, J.M.; Milliron, B.-J. The Connections among Interacting with Nature, Nature Relatedness and Dietary Choices: A Pilot Mixed Methods Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 899. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070899
Stott D, Sharma C, Deutsch JM, Milliron B-J. The Connections among Interacting with Nature, Nature Relatedness and Dietary Choices: A Pilot Mixed Methods Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(7):899. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070899
Chicago/Turabian StyleStott, Dahlia, Chetan Sharma, Jonathan M Deutsch, and Brandy-Joe Milliron. 2024. "The Connections among Interacting with Nature, Nature Relatedness and Dietary Choices: A Pilot Mixed Methods Study" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 7: 899. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070899
APA StyleStott, D., Sharma, C., Deutsch, J. M., & Milliron, B. -J. (2024). The Connections among Interacting with Nature, Nature Relatedness and Dietary Choices: A Pilot Mixed Methods Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(7), 899. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070899