Abstract
Abstract
Background
Climate change directly and indirectly threatens human health, especially among young people, who will face its most severe consequences. Within the planetary health framework, behaviors such as physical activity and sustainable eating are protective lifestyle factors, while love and care for nature supports pro-environmental engagement and psychological resilience. Yet how these interrelate in youth remains unclear.
Methods
A sample of 1,230 students aged 9–16 completed validated measures of physical activity frequency (PACE+), sustainable eating (SHED Index subscale), and love and care for nature (Perkins scale). Using Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 4), we tested a mediation model.
Results
Physical activity positively predicted sustainable eating, which in turn predicted love and care for nature, partially mediating the activity–nature association (significant indirect effect; 10,000 bias-corrected bootstraps).
Discussion
Sustainable eating thus appears a key pathway linking youth physical activity with care for nature, underscoring the value of integrated planetary health interventions targeting multiple behaviors to strengthen both health and pro-climate engagement.