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Forests
Special Issues
Forest Bathing and Forests for Public Health—Series II
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Forest Bathing and Forests for Public Health—Series II

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Forestry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 4335

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qing Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nippon Medical School Hospital, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan
Interests: beneficial effects of forests; blood pressure; forest medicine; forest bathing; forest landscapes; forest therapy; nature therapy; shinrin-yoku
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Won Sop Shin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Social Forestry, School of Forest Resources, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea
Interests: health benefits from forest use; outdoor-based recreation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Christos Gallis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Director, Forest Research Institute, 54453 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: forest medicine; forest bathing; forest landscapes; forest therapy; green care
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Humans have long enjoyed forest environments because of their quiet atmosphere, beautiful scenery, mild climate, pleasant aromas, and fresh, clean air. In Japan, a national health programme for forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, began to be introduced in 1982 by the Forest Agency of Japan for the management of workers’ stress. Shinrin in Japanese means ‘forest’, and yoku means ‘bath’. So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses. Since 2004, serial studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of forest bathing/shinrin-yoku on human health in Japan. We have established a new medical science called forest medicine (https://novapublishers.com/shop/forest-medicine/). Forest medicine is a new interdisciplinary science, belonging to the categories of alternative medicine, environmental medicine and preventive medicine, which studies the effects of forest bathing/shinrin-yoku/forest therapy on human health. It has been reported that forest bathing/shinrin-yoku (forest therapy) has the following beneficial effects on human health:

  • Boosts immune function;
  • Reduces stress and stress hormones;
  • Improves sleep;
  • Shows preventive effect on depression;
  • Reduces blood pressure and heart rate, showing hypertension prevention;
  • Forest bathing in city parks also has benefits on human health;
  • Forest bathing has preventive effect on lifestyle-related diseases.

Therefore, forests are very important for public health. In order to expand the philosophy and concept of forest medicine worldwide, we have planned this Special Issue.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  1. Physiological effects of forest bathing/forest therapy/shinrin-yoku on human health;
  2. Psychological effects of forest bathing/forest therapy/shinrin-yoku on human health;
  3. Beneficial effects of city parks on human health;
  4. Beneficial effects of urban forests on human health;
  5. Forest medicine and epidemiology of forest environments for public health;
  6. Mental health benefits of exposure to nature and green spaces;
  7. Urban forestry and green spaces planning and design for human activity;
  8. Forest landscapes;
  9. Any topics related to forest bathing, forest medicine, forest therapy, shinrin-yoku and forests for public health.

Prof. Dr. Qing Li
Prof. Dr. Won Sop Shin
Dr. Christos Gallis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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. Forests 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 2600 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

  • beneficial effects of forests
  • blood pressure
  • city park
  • forest bathing
  • forests for public health
  • forest landscapes
  • forest medicine
  • forest therapy
  • green care
  • green space
  • immune function
  • mental health
  • nature therapy
  • POMS test
  • shinrin-yoku

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1116 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Forest Walking on Physical and Mental Health Based on Exercise Prescription
by Choyun Kim, Juhyeon Kim, Injoon Song, Yunjeong Yi, Bum-Jin Park and Chorong Song
Forests 2023, 14(12), 2332; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f14122332 - 28 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1082
Abstract
This study aimed to verify the effects of prescribed personalized forest walking by considering individuals’ characteristics. To prescribe individualized exercise programs, we developed an algorithm to calculate exercise intensity based on each participant’s age, regular exercise, fatigue level, and chronic disease type, if [...] Read more.
This study aimed to verify the effects of prescribed personalized forest walking by considering individuals’ characteristics. To prescribe individualized exercise programs, we developed an algorithm to calculate exercise intensity based on each participant’s age, regular exercise, fatigue level, and chronic disease type, if any. To investigate the effects of forest walking on physical and mental health based on exercise prescription, we recruited 59 participants (average age: 39.1 ± 19.0 years old) aged 18 years or older. Physiological and psychological responses were compared before and after walking in the forest. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, percent body fat, negative affect, and emotional exhaustion significantly decreased, while the pulse rate significantly increased following the forest walking. Additionally, we investigated the effects of exercise relative to successfully maintaining one’s target heart rate and found that these effects were even greater when success score of maintaining the target heart rate while walking improved. Comparison of the groups relative to successfully achieving the target heart rate indicated that the high-achievement group had significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body fat mass, percent body fat, negative affect, and emotional exhaustion, and a significant increase in pulse rate. However, the low-achievement group only showed a significant reduction in emotional exhaustion. This study showed that prescribed forest walking has a positive impact on human health and is expected to have a positive effect on the motivation to start and continue exercising. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Bathing and Forests for Public Health—Series II)
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13 pages, 5771 KiB  
Article
Physical Activity in Forest and Psychological Health Benefits: A Field Experiment with Young Polish Adults
by Emilia Janeczko, Jarosław Górski, Małgorzata Woźnicka, Krzysztof Czyżyk, Wojciech Kędziora and Natalia Korcz
Forests 2023, 14(9), 1904; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f14091904 - 19 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1030
Abstract
Recently, many studies have been conducted on the impact of various elements of the natural environment, including forests, on human physical and mental health. However, little is known about the level of health benefits resulting from contact with forests depending on the type [...] Read more.
Recently, many studies have been conducted on the impact of various elements of the natural environment, including forests, on human physical and mental health. However, little is known about the level of health benefits resulting from contact with forests depending on the type of physical activity undertaken. Therefore, in order to measure the impact of physical activity on the level of mental relaxation, a randomized experiment was conducted, which took into account three types of human physical activity: walking, cycling, and passive (without movement) observation of the forest. The study was carried out in the same forest and at the same time. Forty young people studying in Warsaw took part in the study. Four psychological questionnaires were used in the project before and after the experiment (Profile of Mood States, Schedule of Positive and Negative Affects, Recovery Scale, Subjective Vitality Scale). A pre-test was also performed in a university classroom. Research has shown that staying in the forest, regardless of the type of physical activity, brings positive health benefits in the form of an increase in positive feelings while reducing negative feelings. The results indicate that people who walk have the broadest range of benefits (cumulative benefits), in the form of less tension, reduced anger, fatigue, depression, increased concentration and greater vigor. Cyclists experienced significant benefits only in the form of reduced depression and greater vigor. The group passively observing the forest achieved statistically significant benefits only in terms of reducing fatigue and improving concentration. However, overall, the between-group results showed no statistically significant differences between the restorative effects of walking, cycling, and viewing the forest landscape. Each analyzed form of contact with the forest has a regenerating/regenerating effect (ROS scale) and contributes to the increase in vitality (SVS scale). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Bathing and Forests for Public Health—Series II)
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Review

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22 pages, 1902 KiB  
Review
The Impacts of Forest Therapy on the Physical and Mental Health of College Students: A Review
by Mei He, Yuan Hu, Ye Wen, Xin Wang, Yawei Wei, Gonghan Sheng and Guangyu Wang
Forests 2024, 15(4), 682; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f15040682 - 10 Apr 2024
Viewed by 687
Abstract
The aim of this review is to investigate the impacts of various forest therapy activities on the physical and mental health of college students. Additionally, it evaluates the research methodologies and existing issues in current studies, providing an important agenda for future research. [...] Read more.
The aim of this review is to investigate the impacts of various forest therapy activities on the physical and mental health of college students. Additionally, it evaluates the research methodologies and existing issues in current studies, providing an important agenda for future research. Research was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The findings suggest significant effects of forest therapy activities on the physiology and psychology of college students, notably improving the cardiovascular system, enhancing the immune system, boosting emotional well-being, alleviating job-related stress, and enhancing academic performance. This study further clarifies forest therapy as an emerging and effective intervention to reduce stress levels among college students, particularly when carried out continuously in easily accessible campus forest environments. Such therapeutic activities could serve as a component of daily stress-relieving programs for college students. This assessment offers valuable information for college students, educational institutions, and policymakers to promote the development of forest therapy on university campuses. However, some of the studies included in this investigation lacked methodological rigor. Future research should employ rigorous study designs to assess the long-term impacts of various forest therapy approaches on the mental and physical health of college students and identify the primary influencing factors. This will aid in determining suitable content, forms, and strategies for forest therapy projects tailored to college students, thereby maximizing the potential benefits of forest therapy on their mental and physical well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Bathing and Forests for Public Health—Series II)
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12 pages, 906 KiB  
Review
Effect of Nature Space on Enhancing Humans’ Health and Well-Being: An Integrative Narrative Review
by Zhiyong Zhang, Bing Ye, Wenjuan Yang and Yue Gao
Forests 2024, 15(1), 100; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f15010100 - 04 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1172
Abstract
With the progress of science and technology, humans’ ability to transform and create has been greatly enhanced, but so have the physical and mental ailments associated with environmental degradation and urbanization. Human survival and health are strongly linked to nature, and there is [...] Read more.
With the progress of science and technology, humans’ ability to transform and create has been greatly enhanced, but so have the physical and mental ailments associated with environmental degradation and urbanization. Human survival and health are strongly linked to nature, and there is growing evidence that exposure to nature promotes health and well-being. However, there is currently a lack of synthesis among empirical studies on these aspects for the findings to be sufficient for informing public health strategies and social policy. Here, following basic guidelines for systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases in January 2023. The results of our search and analysis show that nature can improve people’s health and well-being from two aspects: physical (reduces CVDs, increases immunity, improves autonomic nervous system function, and improves sleep quality) and psychological (restores attention, improves mood, reduces stress, and improves cognitive development). The ways in which people derive health from nature are varied, and tailored, personalized, symptom-specific exposure can further increase the health benefits. More importantly, it seems that people can gain the health benefits of nature by only being exposed to it for a short time. We incorporate the existing scientific evidence in our review and develop a new heuristic point of view on the necessity of exposure to natural environments for the health of individuals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Bathing and Forests for Public Health—Series II)
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