To determine the mental health and well-being effects of Discovery Quest’s walking and outdoor activity based therapy project
Research from the University of Essex
The Green Exercise Group involved in this small study forms part of the interdisciplinary Centre for Environment and Society (iCES) at the University of Essex. There is growing empirical evidence to show that exposure to nature brings substantial mental health benefits. At the same time, physical activity is known to result in positive physical and mental health outcomes. Over the last 6 years at the University of Essex, we have combined these ideas into a programme of research on ‘green exercise’ and ‘green care’. These address current concerns about the adverse health effects of modern diets and sedentary lifestyles, along with growing evidence that stress and mental ill-health have become substantial health problems for many people in industrialised societies. This cross-disciplinary University of Essex project team is engaged in primary research on i) the health benefits of green exercise – investigating the mental and physical health benefits of physical activities under exposure to different rural and urban environments and ii) more recently evaluating a wide variety of green care options in varying contexts (including ecotherapy and wilderness therapy); and is currently leading research in this field. More information on the University of Essex's iCES can be found here. 
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Research Aims
The aims of this evaluation are primarily to: • Provide an independent monitoring and evaluation tool to assess 2 key outcomes of the wilderness experience • Carry out a snapshot pilot evaluation on the effects on participant self esteem and feelings of connection to nature as a result of participation in a wilderness experience. • Discover what participants enjoyed and did not enjoy about their wilderness experience with Discovery Quest. Press articles reporting on the results of the research:
More information on the results of the research will be published in due time.
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