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Benefits of a Three-Day Bamboo Forest Therapy Session on the Physiological Responses of University Students
Article

Effects of Forest Therapy on Health Promotion among Middle-Aged Women: Focusing on Physiological Indicators

1
Department of Environment and Forest Resources, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
2
Department of Forest Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, Korea
3
Institute of Mental Health, Seoul 03156, Korea
4
Healience Seonmaeul, Hongcheon, Gangwon 25104, Korea
5
Center for Contemplative Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Korea
6
National Center for Forest Therapy, Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk 39695, Korea
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(12), 4348; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124348
Received: 14 April 2020 / Revised: 9 June 2020 / Accepted: 13 June 2020 / Published: 17 June 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evidence-Based Nature for Human Health)
Women experience more stress in middle age than in other life stages, and health in middle age is vital, because it influences the quality of life in old age. In this study, the effects of a forest therapy program on physiological changes in 53 middle-aged women (divided into two groups) who lived in the city were examined. One group participated in a three-day program in the forest, followed by three days in the city; the other group participated in a three-day program in the city, followed by three days in the forest. Forest experiments were conducted in a “healing forest,” and urban experiments were conducted near a university campus. Blood tests were performed to evaluate the physiological effects of forest therapy. Differences in serotonin levels and vitamin D levels were verified before and after the forest (experimental group) and urban (control group) programs through paired t-tests. Statistically significant increases in serotonin levels were noted for participants in the forest program; vitamin D levels also increased, but not by statistically significant values. The findings of this study verify that forest therapy programs promote health among middle-aged women, and may prevent disease and improve quality of life. View Full-Text
Keywords: forest therapy; middle-aged women; health promotion; serotonin; vitamin D forest therapy; middle-aged women; health promotion; serotonin; vitamin D
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MDPI and ACS Style

Park, B.-J.; Shin, C.-S.; Shin, W.-S.; Chung, C.-Y.; Lee, S.-H.; Kim, D.-J.; Kim, Y.-H.; Park, C.-E. Effects of Forest Therapy on Health Promotion among Middle-Aged Women: Focusing on Physiological Indicators. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4348. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124348

AMA Style

Park B-J, Shin C-S, Shin W-S, Chung C-Y, Lee S-H, Kim D-J, Kim Y-H, Park C-E. Effects of Forest Therapy on Health Promotion among Middle-Aged Women: Focusing on Physiological Indicators. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(12):4348. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124348

Chicago/Turabian Style

Park, Bum-Jin, Chang-Seob Shin, Won-Sop Shin, Chung-Yeub Chung, Si-Hyung Lee, Dong-Jun Kim, Youn-Hee Kim, and Chang-Eun Park. 2020. "Effects of Forest Therapy on Health Promotion among Middle-Aged Women: Focusing on Physiological Indicators" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 12: 4348. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124348

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