Effects of Walking in a Forest on Young Women

The effects of forest activities on health promotion have received increasing attention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological and psychological effects of brief walks in forests on young women. The experiments were conducted in 6 forests (test) and 6 city areas (control). Overall,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-01, Vol.16 (2), p.229
Main Authors: Song, Chorong, Ikei, Harumi, Kagawa, Takahide, Miyazaki, Yoshifumi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anxiety
Blood Pressure
Cities
Cortisol
Data collection
Depression
Diabetes mellitus
Emotions
Experiments
Fatigue
Female
Forests
Geriatrics
Health Promotion
Heart Rate
Hormones
Humans
Hypertension
Maximum entropy method
Parasympathetic nervous system
Physiological effects
Physiology
Relaxation - physiology
Stress
Stress relaxation
Studies
Walking
Walking - psychology
Womens health
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:The effects of forest activities on health promotion have received increasing attention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological and psychological effects of brief walks in forests on young women. The experiments were conducted in 6 forests (test) and 6 city areas (control). Overall, 12 participants in each area (60 participants in total, mean age: 21.0 ± 1.3 years) were instructed to walk in a forest and a city area for approximately 15 min; simultaneously, their heart rate variability, heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse rate were measured to quantify their physiological responses to walking. The modified semantic differential method, Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the State⁻Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to determine their psychological responses. Walking in a forest was associated with significantly higher parasympathetic nervous activity and lower sympathetic nervous activity and heart rate. In addition, scores for the comfortable, relaxed, and natural parameters and vigor subscale of POMS were significantly higher, whereas scores for negative feelings, such as tension⁻anxiety, depression⁻dejection, anger⁻hostility, fatigue, and confusion, were significantly lower, as were the total mood disturbance of POMS and the anxiety dimension of the STAI. The subjective evaluations were generally in accordance with the physiological responses. A brief walk in a forest resulted in physiological and psychological relaxation effects in young women.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph16020229