Does Forest Therapy Have Physio-Psychological Benefits? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Yunjeong Yi, Eunju Seo and Jiyeon An ()
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Yunjeong Yi: Department of Nursing, Kyung-In Women’s University, 63 Gyeyangsan-ro, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon 21041, Korea
Eunju Seo: Department of Nursing, Pai-Chai University, 155-40 Baejae-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon 35345, Korea
Jiyeon An: Department of Nursing, Kyung-In Women’s University, 63 Gyeyangsan-ro, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon 21041, Korea

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-21

Abstract: Forest therapy involves visiting forests or conducting forest-based treatment activities to improve one’s health. Studies have investigated the health benefits of forests, but consensus has not been reached. This study comprised a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine how forest therapy affects the physiological and psychological health of adults. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, and Medline databases were searched on 31 August 2021. Systematic review and meta-analysis, risk evaluation, GRADE evaluation, and advertisement effect evaluation were performed for each article. The effect size was calculated by dividing blood pressure as a physiological indicator and depression as a psychological indicator. Of the 16,980 retrieved studies, 17 were selected based on the inclusion criteria. Of these, eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. The effect size of forest therapy on improving systolic and diastolic blood pressure was not significant; however, it significantly reduced depression. While the results have limited generalizability due to the inclusion of few studies, the effects of forest therapy on reducing depression have been confirmed. Since the application of forest therapy was heterogeneous in these studies, a moderator effect analysis or subgroup analysis in meta-analysis should be performed in the future.

Keywords: forest therapy; forest bathing; depression; blood pressure; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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