Stirling University is leading a research project to find out what kind of exercise works and why.
Up to 100 people will be monitored while they are put through a range of fitness programmes in a bid to discover the benefits and results of specific forms of exercise.
The study will focus on the Xcite facility in Bathgate and half of the participants will be allocated indoor activities, such as swimming, gym sessions and classes, and the remainder will take outdoor exercise, such as gardening, walking or golf.
Dr Ruth Jepson, who is leading the research, said the study would follow participants over the next year to find which group enjoyed exercise more and which stuck with a more active lifestyle as a result.
“We’ll also look at the social and mental health impacts of different types of exercise,” said Dr Jepson. “Recent evidence suggests that exercising outdoors may offer additional health and well-being benefits, but it will be interesting to see if this is the case with the sample group in Bathgate.”
Supporters hope the research project will help councils and leisure trusts plan future health programmes and facilities, including new outdoor spaces, “Green Gym” environmental programmes, and walking routes.
The project will start in May, with the final report published in 2014.
The research has been commissioned and undertaken by the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy (SCPHRP), at Edinburgh University, and Stirling University’s Centre for Population Health and Public Health Research.
Dr Jepson added: “Physical activity has benefits for physical and mental health, including reducing a person’s risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But is it better to do this in a gym, or in the great outdoors?
“The indoor participants will receive their own tailored exercise programme, as is normal for people on local referral programmes.
“The outdoor participants will get the chance to do gardening-style work in a ‘Green Gym’ programme. Alternatively, they’ll be able to go walking in the grounds of the Xcite Bathgate’s Park of Peace, or have a round of golf on their nine-hole golf course.”