The effects of urbanization on the health of city dwellers have spurred research on the health-promoting benefits of forest exposure, and potential health-promoting benefits of human-nature relationships. In this meta-analysis, meta-regression, and systematic review, we aimed to analyze how forest-based interventions improved overall well-being through psychological and physiological changes by examining psychological scores and biomarkers. In December 2021, systematic searches were conducted on bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane) for studies involving psychological scores and physiological indicators. Data from 17 studies with 1418 participants showed that psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion, vigor), systolic blood pressure (BP), and malondialdehyde levels significantly improved in the forest-exposed group compared to in the nonexposed group, with high heterogeneity (I2 = 66%–93%). Well-being-related psychological symptoms (friendliness, well-being, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, self-esteem) and physiological markers (diastolic BP and cortisol) exhibited better tendencies in the forest-exposed group, with high heterogeneity (I2 = 16%–91%), and meta-regression showed that moderators (age, country group, number of participants, study design, female participation rate, BMI) were significantly associated with forest-related therapeutic effects. In conclusion, forest visits have health-promoting effects that reduce the incidence of stress and lifestyle-related diseases, and are positively associated with psychological and physiological health.
Background and Objectives: Metabolic syndrome is a growing health concern globally, and its prevalence continues to increase. This study investigated whether a marine healing program could improve metabolic syndrome indicators and mental health in adults with a metabolic syndrome and those at risk of developing it. Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 30 participants who were assigned to either the experimental or control groups. The duration of the study was set at 4 weeks. Both groups received metabolic syndrome management education, and the experimental group additionally participated in two marine healing programs. Anthropometric indicators, biochemical indicators, and mental health indicators were collected before and after the intervention. Results: The findings indicate that the experimental group had significantly lower systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and body weight, as well as higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and uric acid. Mental health indicators (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and quality of life measures) additionally showed improvement. Pre–post comparisons between the experimental group and the control group showed that the experimental group had significantly decreased by 1.05 kg in body weight, whereas the control group increased by 0.29 kg in body weight. In addition, HDL-C decreased by 0.91 mg/dL in the control group and increased by 3.7 mg/dL in the experimental group. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that marine healing programs could improve metabolic syndrome indicators such as body weight and HDL-C better than the control treatment.
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