ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2020
Measures to Promote Rural Healthcare Tourism with a Scientific Evidence-Based Approach.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Does the biodiversity of urban green spaces impact on human health? A systematic review of literature.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- The Effects of Forest Therapy on the Blood Pressure and Salivary Cortisol Levels of Urban Residents: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Reduced hair cortisol concentrations are associated with improved emotional wellbeing in older adults following repeated forest walking.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Potential preventive effects of forest bathing/Shinrin-yoku on depressive symptoms: a narrative review of mechanistic evidence.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2026Review
- Outdoor Natural Versus Built Experiments: A Scoping Review and Methodological Recommendations for Psychological Science.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Using Heart Rate Variability Methods for Health-Related Outcomes in Outdoor Contexts: A Scoping Review of Empirical Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Spending time in the forest or the field: qualitative semi-structured interviews in a randomized controlled cross-over trial with highly sensitive persons.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Linking Perceived Environmental CSR to Residents' Environmental Citizenship Behavior in Rural Tourism: The Mediating Role of Resident-Environment Relationship Quality.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Quality of Life and Mental Health Benefits of Public Participation in Forest Conservation Activities in Urban Areas.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Is It Possible to Predict the Concentration of Natural Volatile Organic Compounds in Forest Atmosphere?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing): A Scoping Review of the Global Research on the Effects of Spending Time in Nature.Global advances in integrative medicine and healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of physical activities on human health in forests in countryside and rural areas. The test experiment was conducted in a countryside forest, whereas the controlled experiment was conducted in an urban area where the study participants resided. A total of 22 participants (aged 20.9 ± 1.3 years) were evaluated in this study. Heart rate variability and salivary cortisol level were used as indices of physiological conditions, and semantic differential method, profile of mood states (POMS), and state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) were used to evaluate the participants' emotional states. The participants were asked to walk around forest and urban areas for 15 min. The results were as follows. As compared to the urban area, in the forest area, (1) the power of the high-frequency (HF) component of the heart rate variability (HRV) was significantly higher; (2) low-frequency (LF)/(LF + HF) was significantly lower; (3) salivary cortisol level was significantly lower; (4) the participants felt more comfortable, natural, relaxed, and less anxious and showed higher levels of positive emotions and lower levels of negative emotions. Consequently, walking in the forest area induces relaxing short-term physiological and psychological effects on young people living in urban areas.
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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.