ArticlePsychology research and behavior management2012
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials on curative and health enhancement effects of forest therapy.
Article in Psychology research and behavior management, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Nature-based interventions: a systematic review of reviews.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- An Actual Natural Setting Improves Mood Better Than Its Virtual Counterpart: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Data.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Pooled it
- Health and well-being benefits of spending time in forests: systematic review.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2017Pooled it
- Effects of Phytoncide Inhalation on Stroop Task Performance in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: An fNIRS Pilot Study.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Balneotherapy as a Complementary Intervention for Stress and Cortisol Reduction: Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Mapping of Research in the Field of Forest Therapy-Related Issues: A Bibliometric Analysis for 2007-2021.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Greenspace Interventions, Stress and Cortisol: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- The Wildman Programme. A Nature-Based Rehabilitation Programme Enhancing Quality of Life for Men on Long-Term Sick Leave: Study Protocol for a Matched Controlled Study In Denmark.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Sense of Well-Being in Patients with Fibromyalgia: Aerobic Exercise Program in a Mature Forest-A Pilot Study.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2015Article
- Connectedness to nature and public (skin) health perspectives: results of a representative, population-based survey among Austrian residents.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo summarize the evidence for curative and health enhancement effects through forest therapy and to assess the quality of studies based on a review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). STUDY
designA systematic review based on RCTs.
methodsStudies were eligible if they were RCTs. Studies included one treatment group in which forest therapy was applied. The following databases - from 1990 to November 9, 2010 - were searched: MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Ichushi- Web. All Cochrane databases and Campbell Systematic Reviews were also searched up to November 9, 2010.
resultsTwo trials met all inclusion criteria. No specific diseases were evaluated, and both studies reported significant effectiveness in one or more outcomes for health enhancement. However, the results of evaluations with the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) 2010 and CLEAR NPT (A Checklist to Evaluate a Report of a Nonpharmacological Trial) checklists generally showed a remarkable lack of description in the studies. Furthermore, there was a problem of heterogeneity, thus a meta-analysis was unable to be performed.
conclusionBecause there was insufficient evidence on forest therapy due to poor methodological and reporting quality and heterogeneity of RCTs, it was not possible to offer any conclusions about the effects of this intervention. However, it was possible to identify problems with current RCTs of forest therapy, and to propose a strategy for strengthening study quality and stressing the importance of study feasibility and original check items based on characteristics of forest therapy as a future research agenda.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.