ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Environmental Health and Exposome
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1674536
This article is part of the Research TopicPhysical Activity in Urban Areas: Where and When?View all 7 articles
A Moderated Mediation Model of Green Space Exposure, Mindfulness, Physical Activity Level, and Perceived Stress
Provisionally accepted
- 1Yibin University, Yibin, China
- 2Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China
- 3Xi'an Physical Education University, Xi'an, China
- 4Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Objective: This study aimed to explore how urban green space exposure influences individuals' perceived stress levels, focusing on the mediating role of mindfulness and the moderating role of physical activity. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Chengdu, China, with 318 adult residents. Validated scales were used to assess green space exposure, mindfulness, physical activity, and perceived stress. Structural equation modeling and the PROCESS macro (Model 4 and Model 8) were used to test the mediation and moderated mediation effects. Results: Green space exposure was found to significantly reduce perceived stress both directly and indirectly via enhanced mindfulness. Mindfulness partially mediated the relationship between green space exposure and stress perception. Moreover, physical activity moderated both the green space– mindfulness and green space–stress pathways. Specifically, individuals with higher levels of physical activity experienced greater mindfulness gains from green exposure, while those with lower activity levels experienced stronger stress-relief benefits. Conclusion: This study highlights the dual cognitive and behavioral pathways through which green environments promote mental well-being. The findings provide theoretical insights for designing targeted urban health interventions that integrate green infrastructure with physical activity promotion.
Keywords: urban green space, mindfulness, Physical activity level, perceived stress, moderated mediation, Mental Health
Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 22 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lin, Ma, Zhao, La, Zhang and Luo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiujie Ma, ma.xiujie@outlook.com
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