Study to probe if outdoor swimming can reduce symptoms of depression

Researchers in the UK are seeking hundreds of people to take part in the first large study into whether outdoor swimming can reduce symptoms of depression.

Open water bathing has been praised as a way to improve well-being in the last few years, with emerging evidence that it can have a positive impact on mental health, experts said.

The number of adults experiencing moderate to severe depression in the UK doubled to nearly one in five between March and June 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, compared to one in 10 before the crisis.