Psycho-Electrophysiological Benefits of Forest Therapies Focused on Qigong and Walking with Elderly Individuals

Abstract

We developed two distinct forest therapy programs (FTPs) and compared their effects on dementia prevention and related health problems for older adults. One was focused on Qigong practice in the forest (QP) and the other involved active walking in the forest (WP). Both FTPs consisted of twelve 2-h sessions over six weeks and were conducted in an urban forest. We obtained data from 25, 18, and 26 participants aged 65 years or above for the QP, WP, and control groups, respectively. Neuropsychological scores via cognition (MoCA), geriatric depression (GDS) and quality of life (EQ-5D), and electrophysiological variables (electroencephalography, bioimpedance, and heart rate variability) were measured. We analyzed the intervention effects with a generalized linear model. Compared to the control group, the WP group showed benefits in terms of neurocognition (increases in the MoCA score, and alpha and beta band power values in the electroencephalogram), sympathetic nervous activity, and bioimpedance in the lower body. On the other hand, the QP group showed alleviated depression and an increased bioimpedance phase angle in the upper body. In conclusion, both active walking and Qigong in the forest were shown to have distinctive neuropsychological and electrophysiological benefits, and both had beneficial effects in terms of preventing dementia and relieving related health problems for elderly individuals.

Short-Term Effects of Forest Therapy on Mood States: A Pilot Study

“…All professionally conducted forest therapy sessions followed the same program, thus the effect of different programs could not be investigated. In this respect, a recent Korean study performed with elderly individuals showed that forest therapy programs focused on Qigong or active walking produced specific neuropsychological and electrophysiological benefits, both beneficial for preventing dementia and relieving related health problems [ 77 ]. Moreover, the single session performed without professional guidance (FTS1) was affected by a low level of weather comfort, which could have played an important role in the respective insignificant results.…”

Cities and neuroscience research: A systematic literature review

“…The impact of physical activity in urban green spaces has also been studied in more ecological settings. Yi et al ( 96 ) investigated how two different “forest therapy” programs–active walking versus a resting control group–could impact elderly individuals. The results showed that active walking had an increase in alpha and beta values (from baseline).…”

“…As a whole, our neuroscientific evidence assists urban planners, organizations, and communities to increase green and blue spaces, considering their biodiversity and quality, within the urban infrastructure–as it potentiates neural mechanisms linked to mental restoration ( 82 ) and stress-recovery ( 49 , 108 , 112 ). Furthermore, supporting the access to local natural landscapes (such as wetlands and forests) provide positive cognitive and emotional feedback to both healthy and more vulnerable groups (e.g., the elderly population) ( 89 , 96 , 106 ). Furthermore, city planning should consider overcrowding as a potential stressor ( 17 ), and take into account the space behavior in relation to per capita area when designing urban built and natural spaces ( 93 ).…”

Outdoor Community Ambulation Interventions to Improve Physical and Mental Health in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The exclusion of the before-and-after estimates of this study from the meta-analysis also substantially reduced statistical heterogeneity, which further supports the decision to present this study narratively. Another parallel-group study had three arms-forest walking, Qigong exercise program, and no intervention (Yi et al, 2021). However, as direct comparisons between the forest walking program and the Qigong program were not reported, we only considered the comparison between the forest walking program (which met the definition of an outdoor community ambulation intervention) and the "no intervention" comparison group.…”