ArticlePeerJ2021
A nature-based health intervention at a military healthcare center: a randomized, controlled, cross-over study.
Article in PeerJ, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04846790 (The Effect of a Combined Nature-based and Virtual Mindfulness Intervention on Perceived Stress in Healthcare Workers That Care for Patients With COVID-19), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 4 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.
The Effect of a Combined Nature-based and Virtual Mindfulness Intervention on Perceived Stress in Healthcare Workers That Care for Patients With COVID-19
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The effectiveness of nature-based interventions on mental health: A systematic review.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Pooled it
- Benefits of forest therapy for adult mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the Profile of Mood States (POMS).Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Forest-Based Interventions on Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- What Activities in Forests Are Beneficial for Human Health? A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Outdoor Natural Versus Built Experiments: A Scoping Review and Methodological Recommendations for Psychological Science.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Is Greener Better? Quantifying the Impact of a Nature Walk on Stress Reduction Using HRV and Saliva Cortisol Biomarkers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Impact of Contact With Nature on the Wellbeing and Nature Connectedness Indicators After a Desertic Outdoor Experience on Isla Del Tiburon.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
We describe a mixed qualitative and quantitative research study in a military facility regarding the role of nature in well-being. Study intervention included two 20-minute walks. One walk was in an intentionally designed woodland environment (Green Road) and the other was on a busy campus road in a medical treatment facility (Urban Road). Twelve volunteers from a military facility participated in both walks in a cross-over experimental design. The two walking sessions were randomly ordered and preceded by pre-walk instructions appropriate to each road's characteristics and incorporated focused attention and present moment orientation. A semi-structured post-walk interview, the primary outcome, was conducted after the conclusion of each walk. Qualitative data analyses consisted of sentiments and themes by using NVivo 12 software. The Green Road was unanimously rated as positive (100%). Responses to Urban Road were evenly distributed among positive (33.3%), negative (33.3%), and neutral/mixed (33.3%) sentiments. The Green Road yielded predominantly positive themes such as enjoyment of nature, relaxation, and feelings of privacy and safety. Urban Road produced significantly more negative themes such as concerns for safety, dislike of noise and other noxious experiences. Quantitative assessment of distress and mindfulness with Distress Thermometer (DT) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale-state version (MAAS) demonstrated that a walk on the Green Road significantly decreased distress and increased mindfulness compared to a walk on the Urban Road. We also observed that pre-walk instructions could direct attention to both obvious and subtle elements of experience and enhance awareness. Results support the notion that an intentional nature-based environment may produce significantly more positive experiences and result in health-promoting benefits in a military health-care setting compared to an urban environment. Future studies with clinical populations could advance our understanding of the healing value of nature-based interventions. The impact of intentional green environments may be enhanced by well-designed instructions for both recreational and therapeutic use.
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.