I also had moderate depression, and the forest had a positive impact on it… the stress was relieved there. Afterwards I felt great and had a good night’s sleep. These days I’m doing this all the time!” 1
A team led by Research Professor Timo Partonen from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare studied the impacts the activities had on individuals’ perceived health, mental wellbeing, sleep and physical activeness.
The main outcome of the study was that the mental wellbeing of those taking part in the forest group was clinically significantly improved. In addition, their perceived health and functional ability also improved. Taking part in the activity strengthened the following factors that protect mental health:
- relaxation
- energy levels
- problem-solving ability
- self-acceptance
- mood, and
- feeling close to other people.
Question sets and activity bracelets
At present, there is still relatively little research data on the effectiveness of practical nature interventions. In this light, the article2 published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Public Health in autumn 2023 is groundbreaking.
The study was conducted in 2018–2020. A total of 79 people with a mean age of 58 took part in a series of seven guided walks into the forest. During the walks, you surrender yourself to nature with all your senses, lie on a bed of undergrowth and learn about nature. An exercise group acted as a reference group, offering a varied programme with a similar level of duration and physical activity.
Taking part in the groups was not tied to certain diagnoses as it was based on the assessments of healthcare professionals on who could benefit from the activity and, on the other hand, would be able to take part in it. Participants were tested for their mental wellbeing before and after and in the middle of the programme. They also wore a bracelet that provided information about activity levels and sleep.
Surprises and overcoming prejudices
Observing nature with a more open attitude; I admire and look at the beauty around me. For example, a false morel. An anthill, and these kinds of things. Through my senses, the feeling I get there these days is more relaxed.”
Age and gender and, surprisingly, the time of year have not been found to have an impact on gaining mental health benefits. In the spring, the groups had walks from the last of the snow cover to the sweetest summertime, and the autumn groups visited the forests from the last glimpses of summer all the way to the falling of first snow.
What is also surprising is that no change was observed in the physical activeness of either group. In addition, people in the forest group slept for an average of 15 minutes less, while those in the exercise group slept for an extra 15 minutes. On the other hand, the forest group members fell asleep quicker than before and found that their quality of sleep had improved.
Most people regarded nature as very important to them already at the start of the project, but the forest group reinforced this further. The comment that is sometimes heard, i.e. “to think that some people are so alienated from nature that they need someone to take them there” is based on a completely incorrect prejudice.
Those visiting forests have a deep connection with nature, which is further reinforced at the end of the series of nature walks.
Forest therapy activities are also in demand in rural areas
The study showed that even when the residents’ living environment is mainly rural and green, such as in Sipoo in East Uusimaa, quantitative results can also be achieved with active nature intervention. Nature exposure can be a potential addition to the selection of methods in basic healthcare when the clients often have multiple chronic conditions and are in poor health in general.
Also the members of the forest group with the poorest health status in the initial situation found that their wellbeing improved, which is not self-evident in the wellbeing interventions. In other words, especially those with a poorer health status than average can benefit from the forest prescription.
The study was funded by the Child and Nature Foundation, the municipality of Sipoo, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finska Läkaresällskapet, Perkléns stiftelse, and HUS ERVA.
Literature
- In the interview studies conducted as a thesis, the participants were asked about their experiences 2-4 years after taking part in the health forest activities. The results indicated that experiencing a deeper connection to nature and increased wellbeing have continued at least to a certain degree. Based on the results, the participants found it important that they were referred to the activity specifically through the healthcare and social welfare services.
Heikkinen, M. (2022). Hälsofrämjande Hälsoskog gruppverksamhet i Sibbo kommuns social- och hälsovårdstjänster – upplevelser ur ett deltagarperspektiv (Health-boosting Health Forest activities in the health and social services of the municipality of Sipoo – experiences from the participant’s point of view). [Masterarbete (thesis), Hälsofrämjande (Health promotion) Högre yrkeshögskole examen (Master’s degree), HYH, Arcada]. Theseus, the full text database for Finland’s universities of applied sciences. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022121429968 - Kolster, A., Heikkinen, M., Pajunen, A., Mickos, A., Wennman, H. & Partonen, T. (2023). Targeted health promotion with guided nature walks or group exercise: a controlled trial in primary care. Frontiers in Public Health (11). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1208858
