The Impact of a 3-day High-altitude Mountain Trek on the Emotional States of Children

Chang Gung Memorial Hospital180 enrolled

Overview

The mood was influenced by many factors in children. Sport, such as high-altitude mountain trek activity was thought benefit for human's mood and health. The expedition therapy was more and more popular in many schools recently. However, as the investigators best knowledge, there was no article discuss the relation between the mood and high-altitude mountain trek activity such as benefit influence in children. So, the investigators conduct the study. Method: Demographic data will be recorded. The Professor Yeh's mood questionnaires were used to record the mood status of before and after the 3 days high-altitude mountain trek activity. Statistical analyses: Participants rated their emotional states (happiness, sadness, anticipation, and anger) on a Likert scale. Each variable will be presented as descriptive statistics. Student t test or other suitable statistical method(s) will be used to determine the correction among the variables with scores of mood status. The paired t test or other suitable statistical method(s) will be used to determine the correction among the scores of mood status before and after the mountain activity. A difference was considered statistically significant if the p value were less than 0.05. All statistical analyses will be performed using SPPS statistical software for Windows, version 14 or more updated version.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

180

Conditions

Emotions

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 11 YearsMax age: 13 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Sixth-grade elementary students who participated in a 3-day, 2-night high-altitude mountain walking trek from the trailhead (2,140 m above sea level) to the summit of Xue Mountain (3,886 m above sea level) * Subject who provide the written informed consent from participants and their legal guardians before the distribution of the questionnaires. Exclusion Criteria: * Not Sixth-grade elementary students. * Not finish the 3-day, 2-night high-altitude mountain walking trek from the trailhead (2,140 m above sea level) to the summit of Xue Mountain (3,886 m above sea level) * Subject who do not provide the written informed consent from participants and their legal guardians before the distribution of the questionnaires.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change from baseline Emotion States (happiness, anticipation, sadness, and anger) at 1 week after the trek.

A 36-item instrument, including the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire was used to evaluate the four emotional states (happiness, anticipation, sadness, and anger). Specifically, 12 questions yielded the happy index, 10 questions yielded the sadness index, 9 questions yielded the anger index, and 5 questions yielded the anticipation index. A Likert scale ranging from 1 to 4 was used to evaluate individual items (1, strongly disagree; 2, disagree; 3, agree; and 4, strongly agree).

Time frame: 1 month before the trek and 1 week after the trek.