J Am Coll Health. 2025 Jul 9:1-9. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2025.2519375. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Explore student experience of campus green space, examining its connections to race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, welcomeness and housing type.
PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate students at a state university who completed an online survey (n = 387) and focus groups (n = 9) in Fall 2022.
METHODS: Mixed methods approach, using SPSS for quantitative analysis and thematic analysis of long-response survey questions and focus groups for qualitative data.
RESULTS: Quantitative tests revealed a significant relationship between feeling welcome and use as well as type of housing and use. Although there are no statistically significant trends based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, qualitative data revealed their hesitance to use campus greenspace.
DISCUSSION: Campus green space can be used to evaluate levels of wellbeing and belonging on campus. Given the proven positive effects of greenspace, findings can inform discourse on wellbeing, belonging, and adapting greenspace so that students are encouraged to engage in it more.
PMID:40633050 | DOI:10.1080/07448481.2025.2519375
