Abstract
Many men have poor mental health and need help to recover. However, designing a rehabilitation intervention that appeals to men is challenging. This study protocol aims to describe the ‘Wildman Programme’, which will be a nature-based rehabilitation programme for men on long-term sick leave due to health problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, post-cancer and chronic cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease, or diabetes type II. The programme will be a nature-based rehabilitation initiative combining nature experiences, attention training, body awareness training, and supporting community spirit. The aim of the study will be to examine whether the ‘Wildman Programme’ can help to increase quality of life and reduce stress among men with health problems compared to treatment as usual. The study will be a matched control study where an intervention group (number of respondents, N = 52) participating in a 12-week nature-based intervention will be compared to a control group (N = 52) receiving treatment as usual. Outcomes are measured at baseline (T1), post-treatment (T2), and at follow up 6 months post-intervention (T3). The results of this study will be important to state whether the method in the ‘Wildman Programme’ can be implemented as a rehabilitation offer in the Danish Healthcare System to help men with different health problems.
Highlights
The prevalence of people in Denmark experiencing high levels of stress has increased from 20.8%in 2010 to 25.1% in 2017 [1]
More and more research show that the use of nature in health promotion and treatment has positive effects [24,87,88,89]
The novelty of this study is the investigation of nature-based methods adapted to men, who are often an overlooked group in the healthcare system
Summary
The prevalence of people in Denmark experiencing high levels of stress has increased from 20.8%in 2010 to 25.1% in 2017 [1]. Far more women than men experiencing stress and stress-related diseases seek help in the Danish healthcare system [2,3]. A possible explanation is that the Danish healthcare system lacks attractive rehabilitation interventions for men [3]. Another possible barrier can be the view of men in the Danish culture. Many men feel they are not allowed to be vulnerable, and it can be difficult for them to reach out for help when they go through a life crisis [2,4]
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