Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26633447›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2015

Physiological and Psychological Effects of a Forest Therapy Program on Middle-Aged Females.

Hiroko Ochiai, Harumi Ikei, Chorong Song, Maiko Kobayashi, Takashi Miura, Takahide Kagawa, Qing Li, Shigeyoshi Kumeda, Michiko Imai, Yoshifumi Miyazaki

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
66citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

66 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 195 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. How Should Forests Be Characterized in Regard to Human Health? Evidence from Existing Literature.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Effects of heat-treatedFrontiers in nutrition · 2026
    Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Effects of Urban Forest Therapy Program on Depression Patients.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Trial
  12. Benefits of a Three-Day Bamboo Forest Therapy Session on the Physiological Responses of University Students.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Trial
  13. The Effects of a Forest Therapy Programme on Mental Hospital Patients with Affective and Psychotic Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019
    Trial
  14. Effects of Walking in a Forest on Young Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019
    Trial
  15. Effects of Horticultural Therapy on Asian Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018
    Trial
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
  20. Article

6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Hiroko OchiaiDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National hospital organization Tokyo Medical Center, Tokyo 152-8902, Japan. ochiroko@gmail.com.
Harumi IkeiCenter for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba 277-0882, Japan. ikei0224@ffpri.affrc.go.jp.
Chorong SongCenter for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba 277-0882, Japan. crsong1028@chiba-u.jp.
Maiko KobayashiDepartment of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan. mk831111@nms.ac.jp.
Takashi MiuraAgematsu Town Office Industry & Tourism Department, Nagano 399-5601, Japan. agkk5180@gmail.com.
Takahide KagawaForestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan. kagawa@ffpri.affrc.go.jp.
Qing LiDepartment of Hygiene and Public Health, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan. qing-li@nms.ac.jp.
Shigeyoshi KumedaNagano Prefectural Kiso Hospital, Nagano 397-8555, Japan. kumeda@titan.ocn.ne.jp.
Michiko ImaiLe Verseau Inc., Tokyo 156-0051, Japan. leverseau@mvb.biglobe.ne.jp.
Yoshifumi MiyazakiCenter for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba 277-0882, Japan. ymiyazaki@faculty.chiba-u.jp.
Chiba University · JPNippon Medical School · JPForestry and Forest Products Research Institute · JPKomatsu (Japan) · JPNagano Prefectural College · JPTokyo Medical Center · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The natural environment is increasingly recognized as an effective counter to urban stress, and "Forest Therapy" has recently attracted attention as a relaxation and stress management activity with demonstrated clinical efficacy. The present study assessed the physiological and psychological effects of a forest therapy program on middle-aged females. Seventeen Japanese females (62.2 ± 9.4 years; mean ± standard deviation) participated in this experiment. Pulse rate, salivary cortisol level, and psychological indices were measured on the day before forest therapy and on the forest therapy day. Pulse rate and salivary cortisol were significantly lower than baseline following forest therapy, indicating that subjects were in a physiologically relaxed state. Subjects reported feeling significantly more "comfortable," "relaxed," and "natural" according to the semantic differential (SD) method. The Profile of Mood State (POMS) negative mood subscale score for "tension-anxiety" was significantly lower, while that for "vigor" was significantly higher following forest therapy. Our study revealed that forest therapy elicited a significant (1) decrease in pulse rate, (2) decrease in salivary cortisol levels, (3) increase in positive feelings, and (4) decrease in negative feelings. In conclusion, there are substantial physiological and psychological benefits of forest therapy on middle-aged females.

Indexed as

ForestsAdultAffectAgedAnxietyBiomarkersFemaleHealth PromotionHeart RateHumansHydrocortisoneMiddle AgedPsychotherapyRelaxationStress, PhysiologicalStress, PsychologicalBiomarkersHydrocortisoneforest therapy programmiddle-aged femalesProfile of Mood Statepulse ratesalivary cortisolsemantic differential method

Identifiers

PMID26633447
PMCPMC4690920
OpenAlexW2182514087

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.