Objectives: The activity using paper planes includes making the paper planes and tuning the planes, launching the planes, and walking or running to get the planes after launching them. We showed in previous studies that the activity using styrene airplanes and paper airplanes (Origami airplanes) produced positive effects on mental health for university students in health science classes. This current study examined both subjective and objective effects on mental health of the activity using paper airplanes (White wings Racer SKYCUB IV, Sky Cub IV balsa/paper planes) as an outdoor sport.

Methods: The study cohort was comprised of 47 healthy female university students, all of whom were fresh-women and engaged the paper airplane activity protocol in a health science class. Five sessions of activity involving paper airplanes were carried out over a fifteen week semester, including one lecture session on the theory of paper airplanes. The level of activation of α-amylase in saliva, which is a marker for evaluation of stress, was measured. To measure subjective stress level, participants answered a set of questions as to whether they felt stress at the time. Additionally, the two-dimensional mood scale (TDMS) was used to measure mood change, measuring psychological activity level, stability level, arousal level, and hedonic tone. All of the factors were measured before classes and after class sessions. For this study, results for the class which took the lecture and the class which played with White wings Racer SKYCUB IV, which was the second class of the activity, were compared.

Results: The level of α-amylase in saliva and the subjective stress level decreased after the activity with paper airplanes, whereas the levels demonstrated no changes after the lecture class. For the TDMS score, psychological activity level, arousal level, and hedonic tone increased after the activity with paper airplanes, whereas those are no changes after the lecture class.

Conclusions: The results showed that the activity with paper airplane may help students to reduce their stress and change their mood to higher activity level, arousal level, and hedonic tone. This study strengthened our understanding of the possibility of the activity with paper airplanes as a useful teaching resource for mental health and health education for lifelong education.