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Forest Therapy and Health
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Forest Therapy and Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 17590

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Takahide Kagawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Landscape Planning Laboratory, Chiba University, Matsudo, Chiba 271-8510, Japan
Interests: shinrin-yoku; forest medicine; mental health; stress reduction; landscape planning; environmental planning; forest management; regional promotion; post COVID-19 condition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a broad compilation of the benefits of forest therapy to human health. The rapid progress of urbanization and artificialization in recent years has led to increased levels of stress and caused various social problems, such as the spread of lifestyle-related diseases and depression—all of which have been further compounded by the emergence of COVID-19 and the associated post-COVID-19 condition. In recent years, researchers have been attempting to find ways to improve mental health and prevent lifestyle-related diseases with the help of environmental elements, such as through forest therapy (shinrin-yoku). Indeed, it is a well-known fact that spending time in nature, such as forests and green spaces, can help to reduce stress. However, as COVID-19 taught us, this is not always possible. Thus, investigating the health benefits of methods such as forest therapy is pivotal today. Our goal is for this Special Issue to share progress and new research on the improvement of antidepressants and recovery from post-COVID-19 conditions, as well as prevention of lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity and hypertension through forest therapy (shinrin-yoku).

Prof. Dr. Takahide Kagawa
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forest therapy
  • shinrin-yoku
  • green spaces
  • urban park
  • preventive medicine
  • mental health
  • stress reduction
  • five sense stimulation
  • lifestyle-related diseases
  • depression
  • post-COVID-19 condition
  • diseases concomitant of COVID-19
  • landscape planning
  • environmental planning
  • forest management
  • regional promotion

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2180 KiB  
Article
Development of an Evaluation Index for Forest Therapy Environments
by Jaewoo Kang, Jeongho Choi and Kyoungmin Lee
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(2), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21020136 - 25 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1700
Abstract
Most research on forest therapy has examined the therapeutic effects of forest activity development. There has been insufficient research identifying and evaluating the forest therapy environment. This study aimed to derive a representative forest therapy environment from each of the four evaluation sites, [...] Read more.
Most research on forest therapy has examined the therapeutic effects of forest activity development. There has been insufficient research identifying and evaluating the forest therapy environment. This study aimed to derive a representative forest therapy environment from each of the four evaluation sites, comprising national luxury forests; Scopus, PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, RISS, and DBpia were searched, and 13 studies evaluating forest therapy environments were analyzed and synthesized. After conducting a Conformity Evaluation, one layer of items, comprising anions with low conformity scores, was excluded, and six field measurements, phytoncide, oxygen, illuminance, UV-rays, sound, and anion, were added to increase objectivity. Finally, five forest therapy environment categories and 25 detailed items were derived. Analytic Hierarchy Process-based importance was evaluated to calculate the weight between the final evaluation items. According to the site evaluations, the categories of landscape, forest air, sunlight, sound, and anions appeared, in that order. This study is significant as it developed evaluation items and rating criteria for forest therapy environments, applied these in the field, and derived representative forest therapy environments for each location. This study developed indicators, provided basic data for establishing a therapy environment management plan, and there recommendations were made for an environment suitable for visitors and customizing forest welfare and therapy services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Therapy and Health)
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20 pages, 2307 KiB  
Article
Distance to Natural Environments, Physical Activity, Sleep, and Body Composition in Women: An Exploratory Analysis
by Andreia Teixeira, Ronaldo Gabriel, José Martinho, Irene Oliveira, Mário Santos, Graça Pinto and Helena Moreira
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3647; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043647 - 18 Feb 2023
Viewed by 2312
Abstract
A growing body of evidence indicates that living close to nature is associated with better health and well-being. However, the literature still lacks studies analyzing the benefits of this proximity for sleep and obesity, particularly in women. The purpose of this study was [...] Read more.
A growing body of evidence indicates that living close to nature is associated with better health and well-being. However, the literature still lacks studies analyzing the benefits of this proximity for sleep and obesity, particularly in women. The purpose of this study was to explore how distance to natural spaces is reflected in women’s physical activity, sleep, and adiposity levels. The sample consisted of 111 adult women (37.78 ± 14.70). Accessibility to green and blue spaces was assessed using a geographic-information-system-based method. Physical activity and sleep parameters were measured using ActiGraph accelerometers (wGT3X-BT), and body composition was assessed using octopolar bioimpedance (InBody 720). Nonlinear canonical correlation analysis was used to analyze the data. Our findings reveal that women living in green spaces close to their homes had lower levels of obesity and intra-abdominal adiposity. We also demonstrated that a shorter distance to green spaces seemed to correlate with better sleep onset latency. However, no relationship was found between physical activity and sleep duration. In relation to blue spaces, the distance to these environments was not related to any health indicator analyzed in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Therapy and Health)
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Graphical abstract

16 pages, 1347 KiB  
Article
Effects of Urban Forest Therapy Program on Depression Patients
by Poung-Sik Yeon, In-Ok Kim, Si-Nae Kang, Nee-Eun Lee, Ga-Yeon Kim, Gyeong-Min Min, Chung-Yeub Chung, Jung-Sok Lee, Jin-Gun Kim and Won-Sop Shin
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(1), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010507 - 28 Dec 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3807
Abstract
Depression is a common serious mental health condition that can have negative personal and social consequences, and managing it is critical for treating depression patients. Forest therapy is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological intervention to improve mental health. However, although the effectiveness of [...] Read more.
Depression is a common serious mental health condition that can have negative personal and social consequences, and managing it is critical for treating depression patients. Forest therapy is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological intervention to improve mental health. However, although the effectiveness of forest therapy programs using forests far from the city has been proven, it is not well known that urban forests can be easily accessed in daily life. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of an urban forest therapy program on depression symptoms, sleep quality, and somatization symptoms of depression patients. To evaluate this, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was employed. A total of 47 depression patients participated in this study (22 in the urban forest therapy program group and 25 in the control group). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) were administered to each participant to assess the effects of the urban forest therapy program. The results of this study revealed that depression patients in the urban forest therapy program had significantly alleviated depression symptoms and improved sleep quality and somatization symptoms compared to the control group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the possibility that the urban forest therapy program could be used as an effective non-pharmacological treatment to alleviate depression disorder. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Therapy and Health)
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12 pages, 1365 KiB  
Article
‘This Is What the Colour Green Smells Like!’: Urban Forest Bathing Improved Adolescent Nature Connection and Wellbeing
by Kirsten McEwan, Vanessa Potter, Yasuhiro Kotera, Jessica Eve Jackson and Sarah Greaves
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15594; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315594 - 24 Nov 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4334
Abstract
Background: Research suggests that an early connection with nature can benefit wellbeing into adulthood. However, there is less research assessing whether adolescents benefit from formal nature connection interventions such as forest bathing (slow mindful nature walks). This research aimed to assess whether an [...] Read more.
Background: Research suggests that an early connection with nature can benefit wellbeing into adulthood. However, there is less research assessing whether adolescents benefit from formal nature connection interventions such as forest bathing (slow mindful nature walks). This research aimed to assess whether an urban nature connection intervention (called ParkBathe) could improve adolescents’ nature connection and wellbeing. Method: In an experimental repeated measures design, 44 adolescents sampled opportunistically from Scouts groups, completed surveys and interviews before and after experiencing an urban nature connection intervention. Results: Paired-samples t-tests between baseline and post-intervention survey scores revealed statistically significant improvements in anxiety (13% reduction); rumination (44% reduction); scepticism (17% reduction); nature connection (25% increase); and social connection (12% increase). The largest effect size was found for nature connection. Interviews revealed that before the session, participants had a mixed understanding and expectations of the intervention. Conclusions: After the session, the participants expressed enjoying the social aspects of being part of a group and being present in the moment by noticing nature. They expressed the effects of this as immediately calming and relaxing. Urban forest bathing improved nature connection and wellbeing in adolescents and could be implemented and/or signposted by schools and youth charities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Therapy and Health)
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12 pages, 734 KiB  
Article
The Feasibility and Impact of Practising Online Forest Bathing to Improve Anxiety, Rumination, Social Connection and Long-COVID Symptoms: A Pilot Study
by Kirsten McEwan, Harriet Collett, Jean Nairn, Jamie Bird, Mark A. Faghy, Eric Pfeifer, Jessica E. Jackson, Caroline Cook and Amanda Bond
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14905; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214905 - 12 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4090
Abstract
Background: Long-COVID affects over 144 million people globally. In the absence of treatments, there is a need to establish the efficacy of therapies that improve patient outcomes. Forest bathing has been demonstrated to improve physical and mental outcomes but there is no evidence [...] Read more.
Background: Long-COVID affects over 144 million people globally. In the absence of treatments, there is a need to establish the efficacy of therapies that improve patient outcomes. Forest bathing has been demonstrated to improve physical and mental outcomes but there is no evidence in Long-COVID patients. Accordingly, this pilot study sought to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of online forest bathing in adults with Long-COVID. Methods: Feasibility was assessed by monitoring retention rates and participant feedback. In a waitlist controlled, repeated measures design, 22 Long-COVID patients completed weekly online surveys during a four-week waitlist control period, before engaging in four weekly online forest bathing sessions, completing post-intervention surveys following each session. Results: In terms of retention, 27% did not provide post-intervention data, reasons for non-adherence were: feeling too ill, having medical appointments, or having career responsibilities. Compared with the waitlist control period, there were statistically significant improvements in Anxiety (49% decrease), Rumination (48% decrease), Social Connection (78% increase), and Long-COVID symptoms (22% decrease). Written qualitative comments indicated that participants experienced feelings of calm and joy, felt more connected socially and with nature, and experienced a break from the pain and rumination surrounding their illness. Conclusions: Online Forest bathing resulted in significant improvements in well-being and symptom severity and could be considered an accessible and inexpensive adjunct therapy for Long-COVID patients. Where people have limited access to in-person nature, virtual nature may offer an alternative to improve health and well-being outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Therapy and Health)
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