PhD Program in Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing, Department of Humanities, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Department of Environmental Sciences and Prevention, University of Ferrara Ferrara, Italy.
Rev Environ Health. 2022 Oct 17;39(1):121-136. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2022-0093. Print 2024 Mar 25.
There is a growing awareness that spending time in nature is associated with improvement of well-being; nevertheless, the prescription of forest bathing is still limited. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the physiological and psychological benefits of different forest therapies on healthy and pathological elderly populations (>60 years) to identify the most-effective type, duration, and frequency of these interventions. A search for literature was carried out in December 2021 using PubMed, EMBASE, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and Web of Science. Grey literature was searched as well. After removal of the duplicates, within the 214 articles identified, ten met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the selected studies was rated. Forest walking, alone and in combination with other activities is the most effective intervention. The selected studies reported a positive impact on physical components, including reduction in blood pressure and heart rate and improvements in cardiopulmonary and neurochemical parameters. Favorable modifications have also been noted in the psychological field, with improvements in depression, stress levels and in quality of life perception. In conclusion, forest walking may play an important role in promoting physical and mental health in healthy and pathological elderly populations. However, the lack of high-quality studies limits the strength of the results, calling for more trials.
人们越来越意识到，在大自然中度过时间与幸福感的提高有关；然而，森林浴的处方仍然有限。本系统评价的目的是探讨不同森林疗法对健康和患病老年人（>60 岁）的生理和心理益处，以确定这些干预措施最有效的类型、持续时间和频率。我们于 2021 年 12 月在 PubMed、EMBASE、ResearchGate、Google Scholar 和 Web of Science 上进行了文献搜索。也搜索了灰色文献。在剔除重复项后，在所确定的 214 篇文章中，有 10 篇符合纳入标准。对选定研究的方法学质量进行了评价。单独或与其他活动结合的森林散步是最有效的干预措施。所选研究报告了对身体成分的积极影响，包括降低血压和心率以及改善心肺和神经化学参数。在心理领域也观察到了有利的变化，抑郁、压力水平和生活质量感知得到改善。总之，森林散步可能在促进健康和患病老年人的身心健康方面发挥重要作用。然而，高质量研究的缺乏限制了结果的强度，呼吁进行更多的试验。
