ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
Are Long-Distance Walks Therapeutic? A Systematic Scoping Review of the Conceptualization of Long-Distance Walking and Its Relation to Mental Health.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Protocol: Long Distance Walking and Psychosocial Health and Wellbeing: A Scoping Review.Campbell systematic reviews · 2026Review
- Silence to grow: psychological transformation during long-time engagement in green and blue nature.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The Influence of Recreational Hiking on the Prevalence of Cardiovascular and Psychiatric Diseases Among Population of Republic of Serbia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Dose-response relationship between sedentary time and anxiety and the moderating effect of a 10-min walk: a cross-sectional study.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- An integrative review of the physical, mental, and socioeconomic benefits of outdoor hiking.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Exploring the Relationship of Leisure Travel with Loneliness, Depression, and Cognitive Function in Older Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Article
- The Association of Outdoor Walking Per Week with Mental Health and Costs of Psychotropic Drugs in Adults.Journal of community health · 2023Article
- The Importance of the Outdoor Environment for the Recovery of Psychiatric Patients: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Can Rehabilitation in Nature Improve Self-Perceived Interpersonal Problems? A Matched-Control Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Embodied Prevention.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
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Long-distance walking is an ancient activity practiced across cultures for many reasons, including the improvement of one's health. It has even been suggested that long-distance walking may be considered a form of psychotherapy. This scoping review examined the relationship between long-distance walking and mental health among adults. Publication trends and definitions were also examined, and the reason why long-distance walking may have therapeutic effects was discussed. Systematic searches in three online databases were performed using a selection of long-distance walking terms. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were included if they examined associations between long-distance walking and mental health in an adult population. Mental health was conceptualized in broad terms, including descriptions of mental states as well as more specific measurements or notions of mental health. A total of 8557 records were screened and 26 studies were included, out of which 15 were quantitative, 9 were qualitative, and 2 were mixed. The findings showed that long-distance walking was positively related to mental health. This was most consistent with regard to emotional distress compared to somewhat inconsistent findings regarding well-being. Therefore, long-distance walking may be more appropriately used to counter some personal or emotional struggle rather than to achieve hedonic pleasure.
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.