Cumulative Frequency of Nature Dose: How Continuous and Regular Forest Walking Improves Nature Relatedness, Restorativeness, and Learning Engagement in College Students

Abstract

Forest is a natural resource that provides natural walking as a popular leisure activity for urban residents. From the perspective of “dose of nature,” continuous contact with natural environments and engagement in natural activities can gradually promote positive health benefits. This study aims to explore the “cumulative frequency of nature dose” through regular forest walking. Ten college students were recruited to walk once a week for 30 min in the campus forest. Eight weeks of forest walking experiences were collected by administering questionnaires on nature relatedness, mental health, restorativeness, and learning engagement before the first walk, as well as after the fourth and the eighth walks. The findings of this study revealed that regular forest activities can induce accumulated natural benefits. By taking at least 30 min of forest walks once a week continuously for eight weeks, the subjects improved their mental health, increased learning engagement in school, gained more attention recovery and reflection experiences, and re-established a relationship with nature. In addition, different doses of natural benefits were observed for different cumulative processes.

Effectiveness of a mindful nature walking intervention on sleep quality and mood in university students during Covid-19: A randomised control study

“…One unexpected finding was that there was no significant improvement of nature relatedness for participants in nature group after seven consecutive walking. This finding is partly consistent with one study, which has shown that the degree of nature relatedness not significantly improved after walking for four times, however, it significantly increased when participants walked for eight weeks 60 . That study implied that longer the forest walking, the greater levels of nature relatedness that participants may perceive.…”

The Moderating Effects of Gender and Dispositional Mindful Observation on the Relationship between Nature Contact and Psychological Distress: A Cross-Sectional Study in China

“…Practicing mindful observation and further enhancing dispositional mindful observation could be helpful before engaging with or being exposed to the natural environment. Also, the result was consistent with the dose theory [42,43] and the existing experimental studies [30,31]. As a cross-sectional study, our findings supported that the effect of mindful observation on the relationship between contact with nature and mental health could be accumulated from a state to a disposition and affect mental health both in the short-term and long-term.…”

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