Abstract
Women experience more stress in middle age than in other life stages, and health in middle age is vital, because it influences the quality of life in old age. In this study, the effects of a forest therapy program on physiological changes in 53 middle-aged women (divided into two groups) who lived in the city were examined. One group participated in a three-day program in the forest, followed by three days in the city; the other group participated in a three-day program in the city, followed by three days in the forest. Forest experiments were conducted in a “healing forest,” and urban experiments were conducted near a university campus. Blood tests were performed to evaluate the physiological effects of forest therapy. Differences in serotonin levels and vitamin D levels were verified before and after the forest (experimental group) and urban (control group) programs through paired t-tests. Statistically significant increases in serotonin levels were noted for participants in the forest program; vitamin D levels also increased, but not by statistically significant values. The findings of this study verify that forest therapy programs promote health among middle-aged women, and may prevent disease and improve quality of life.
Highlights
People in modern society experience significant stress in their daily lives
The findings of this study revealed that forest therapy increased serotonin levels
It was verified that forest therapy was effective in promoting health by this action of serotonin
Summary
People in modern society experience significant stress in their daily lives. Stress can be beneficial to health if it lasts for a limited time and is at a manageable level. If stress exceeds the manageable level and persists to become chronic, it has adverse effects on health [2,3]. Lack of an effective coping strategy for stress leads to various diseases [4,5]. Physical aging progresses and diseases become chronic [6,7]. Middle-aged women experience more stress than men due to menopausal symptoms [8]. Most middle-aged women experience chronic stress, leading to a decrease in immunity, which in turn adversely affects their
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