Open Access

ARTICLE

Walking for Mental Health: Effects of Mobile-Based Walking on Stress and Affectivity in College Students

Ye Hoon Lee¹, Juhee Hwang^2,*

1 Division of Global Sport Industry, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Gyeonggi-do, 17035, Republic of Korea
2 Graduate School of Global Sports, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, 02450, Republic of Korea

* Corresponding Author: Juhee Hwang. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Active Living, Active Minds: Promoting Mental Health through Physical Activity)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025, 27(2), 179-191. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.060685

Received 07 November 2024; Accepted 22 January 2025; Issue published 03 March 2025

Abstract

Objectives: Recent research has shown that college students experience high levels of stress from various sources, which contribute to heightened rates of psychological distress and make them particularly vulnerable to mental health issues. Hence, we conducted a study, aimed to analyze the influence of a mobile-based walking routine on mental health outcomes, such as perceived stress and positive and negative affect. Methods: The participants were divided into two groups: the walking group (N = 23) and the control group (N = 24). The walking group engaged in an approximately 25-min walking session for at least 3 days per week, which was carefully monitored and facilitated with the help of the Nike Run Club application. The statistical analysis of the quantitative data was carried out with the help of SPSS 25.0. In addition to calculating descriptive statistics, we conducted an independent samples t-test, a repeated-measures ANOVA, and a paired sample t-test to analyze the effectiveness of the intervention. Results: A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that the walking group exhibited significant reductions in perceived stress (t = 2.03, p = 0.049, Cohen’s D = 0.60) and negative affect (t = 2.19, p = 0.033, Cohen’s D = 0.65) after the intervention, whereas the control group showed no significant changes across time in any of the proposed variables. Conclusion: The results of the study continue to be indicative of the positive effects of regular walking on perceived stress and negative affect, preserving its role as a straightforward and accessible tool for reducing stress and negative affect.

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Keywords

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