Lee 2011, To provide RCT Young male Heart rate Primary measurement Forest Matching of participants Parasympathetic activity ↑ scientific Japanese adults variability, LF/HF Self-reported Sympathetic activity evidence recruited from ratio in R-R interval ↓ (Lee et al. psychological supporting the local universities. variability Heart rate↓ 2011) measures efficacy of forest Mean age 21.2 (parasympathetic bathing as a years and sympathetic Salivary cortisol ↓ natural therapy nervous system (n = 12) by investigating activity), cortisol its physiological levels, pulse rate, benefits systolic blood biological pressure, diastolic indicators in blood pressure outdoor settings Lee 2014a, Investigating the RCT Young Japanese Blood pressure, Primary measurement Forest vs urban Matching of participants Parasympathetic activity ↑ South Korea health benefits adult males. heart rate, heart Sympathetic activity of forest walking Mean age 21.2 rate variability ↓ (Lee et al. on years Heart rate 2014a) ↓ cardiovascular (n = 48) reactivity Lee 2014b, To investigate RCT Recruited by Blood pressure, Primary measurement Forest/city walking Matching of participants Blood pressure ↓ South Korea the effects advertisement at arterial stiffness intervention CAVI of forest walking a senior welfare (CAV1), pulmonary ↓ (Lee and Lee on arterial centre. function (FEV1, FEV) FEV1 2014b) ↑ stiffness and Participants were pulmonary all female. FEV6 ↑ function in Average age of Korean elderly city walking group women (n=19) 71.1 years, average age for forest walking group (n=43) 70.2 years (n = 62)
Lee 2011, (Lee et al. 2011) To provide scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of forest bathing as a natural therapy by investigating its physiological benefits biological indicators in outdoor settings RCT Young male Japanese adults recruited from local universities. Mean age 21.2 years (n = 12) Heart rate variability, LF/HF ratio in R-R interval variability (parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity), cortisol levels, pulse rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure Primary measurement Self-reported psychological measures Forest Matching of participants Parasympathetic activity ↑ Sympathetic activity ↓ Heart rate↓ Salivary cortisol ↓ Lee 2014a, South Korea (Lee et al. 2014a) Investigating the health benefits of forest walking on cardiovascular reactivity RCT Young Japanese adult males. Mean age 21.2 years (n = 48) Blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability Primary measurement Forest vs urban Matching of participants Parasympathetic activity ↑ Sympathetic activity ↓ Heart rate ↓ Lee 2014b, South Korea (Lee and Lee 2014b) To investigate the effects of forest walking on arterial stiffness and pulmonary function in Korean elderly women RCT Recruited by advertisement at a senior welfare centre. Participants were all female. Average age of city walking group (n=19) 71.1 years, average age for forest walking group (n=43) 70.2 years (n = 62) Blood pressure, arterial stiffness (CAV1), pulmonary function (FEV1, FEV) Primary measurement Forest/city walking intervention Matching of participants Blood pressure ↓ CAVI ↓ FEV1 ↑ FEV6 ↑
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