Declining Outdoor Recreation and Increasing Gym Training among Norwegian Adolescents, 2010–2019

Outdoor recreation is widely acknowledged to benefit both physical and mental health. Increasing urbanization, technological development, and the prevalence of social media have raised concerns that adolescents are spending less time in nature-based activities. We used cross-sectional data from the Ungdata Survey (2010–2019; N = 67,554) to investigate trends in adolescents' participation in outdoor recreation. Additionally, we examined parallel trends in gym training and analyzed individual and contextual factors associated with outdoor recreation participation. Multilevel regression analyses revealed a marked decline in outdoor recreation from 2010 to 2019, alongside a concurrent increase in gym training. These changes were most pronounced in urban municipalities. These findings suggest an ongoing shift in adolescent activity patterns, with potential implications for public health and environmental engagement.