• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a forest-based health promotion program for vulnerable school children. Methods: The specific process for program development involved establishing a program goal, assessing the needs of the participants, analyzing existing programs and constructing a forest-based program. Results: Each session of the program, which consisted of a total of 10 sessions, included 40 to 50 minutes of indoor education for children's physical and psychosocial health and 60 to 70 minutes of forest experience activities with nursing student mentors. For the application of the program, guidelines for mentor selection and prior education, physical environment check, children's safety, criteria for evaluation of the program effects and operation of the program were developed. Conclusion: This study presents the specific procedures and contents for developing a forest-based program for vulnerable school children. The results of this study will provide useful data to develop a community-based program to promote the physical and psychosocial health of vulnerable school children.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.3
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• pp.469-479
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• 2012

Trail is a main infrastructure for various forest recreational activities. In this study, the recreational supply (trail) and demand (trail program according to visitor characteristics, preferred forest activities) were studied. Through the application of a multiple correspondence analysis and cross tabulation analysis, 3 trails (Bukhansan trail, Uljin trail, Jirisan trail) were identified. On this study, visitor demands for trail program participation, preferred forest recreational activities, program contents and program operations. Visitors expressed positive attitude toward trail program participating and showed characteristics with the differences. Young visitors preferred active experience program and middle aged visitors more liked health program such as forest therapy. On site program and self guided interpretation were preferred for program operation. In Bukhansan trail, continuous health program (1~2 hours) would be proper and it needs to adapt various nature activities in the Uljin trail. For the Jirisan trail, self guided program would be developed in many ways.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.492-497
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• 2022

Objectives: Women experience more stress in middle age than in other periods of their lives. Therefore, health management programs that enable middle-aged women to cope with and manage stress are needed. This study investigated the psychological effects of a meditation-focused forest therapy program among 53 middle-aged women living in urban areas in Korea. Methods: Participants were divided into 2 groups: one group underwent the program for 3 days in a forest, followed by 3 days in an urban environment, and the other group underwent the program for 3 days in the urban environment, followed by 3 days in the forest. The psychological effects of the forest therapy program were evaluated using the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B). Differences in mood state before and after the program conducted in the forest (experimental group) and in the urban environment (control group) were evaluated using the paired-samples t-test. Results: The program in the forest significantly reduced tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion among the domains of the POMS-B. The program in the urban area significantly reduced tension, but not depression, anger, fatigue, or confusion. Conclusions: Meditation-focused forest therapy programs are expected to contribute to promoting psychological health and enhancing the quality of life of middle-aged women.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.464-472
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• 2023

Middle-aged women experience a lot of physical and mental stress during their developmental cycle. This stress reduces the quality of life because it leads to chronic pain and disease. Forest therapy is attracting attention as an alternative to this. Forest therapy refers to improving human health through the therapeutic elements of forests. Accordingly, this study was conducted to determine whether a sensory insight-based forest therapy program was effective in reducing stress in middle-aged women. For this purpose, middle-aged women who wanted to participate in the forest therapy program were recruited, 20 each were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, and pre- and post-tests were conducted. The forest therapy program consisted of 8 sessions of 6 hours based on sense and insight. The forest therapy program was held at Saryeoni Forest in Jeju, and the measurement tools were compared by measuring perceived stress, leisure satisfaction, and stress index through pulse wave testing. The results of the study showed that the forest therapy program lowered stress and improved leisure satisfaction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.586-595
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of participation in a forest program on the level of depression changes in the participants. Total of 501 university students residing in the middle province of Korea were administered Beck Depression Inventory(BDI). Among them, 32 students were selected as participants of the program based on the scores of the BDI. A 5-day forest program included climbing, sharing experience with others and so on. Pre and post tests control group research design was employed for this study, with BDI measures taken from each of 32 participants on three time frames : 2 weeks before the program, immediately before participation, and immediately after participation. BDI scores were expected to decrease as a result of forest program participation. The study results supported this hypothesis.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.424-434
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• 2021

People who face retirement in aging society experience changes in resilience and psychological depression. As the baby boomer generation, which has played a central role in Korea's economic and social sectors, begins retiring, interest in their post-retirement lives has also increased. Thus, this study investigates the effects of a forest healing program using forest healing factors of ecological forests on the resilience and depression of baby-boomer retirees. This experiment divided 58 subjects in the baby boomer generation into three groups and examined differences among the groups. The result showed that the subjects in the forest healing program group (FHPG) had a very significant increase in resilience and a statistically significant decrease in depression compared to those in the forest healing program non-participation group (FHNG) and the daily life group (DLG). Therefore, it can be said participating in the forest healing program is more effective for retirees than voluntary forest activities. The results of this study can be used as basic data for research on the resilience and depression of retirees.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.33 no.4 s.111
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• pp.79-96
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• 2005

This study is to suggest the technique of ecological park to compatible mountain ecosystem near the urban in Woomyeonsan Urban Nature Park. It was proposed to differential technique from established ecological park focused on changing the cognition of nature, wetland ecosystem protection and restoration, and studying by served sound leisure program(nature observation and experience, etc.), in compatible mountain and urban forest near the Urban. Firstly, to achieve this aim, it was carried out delicated research and analysis that were the angle of inclination, trail, fauna, actual vegetation, bird and insect, and then to selected nature trail course and analysis capability through it.. In the basic concept and plan, firstly to make park aid mark and foundation mark, and then to establish the detail programs, nature observation program, management and organization program. This site where valley and mountain coexist was highly capable but whole site was very steep, so usable area is very narrow. To make Woomyeonsan nature ecological park escape from the established wetland type, ecological park and the park of event have to use nature material and introduce visitor. To establish it as the Nature Culture observation park and reflect on forest, valley of Woomyeonsan was divided into three display places; Nature ecosystem Zone, Meditation Zone, Nature Culture experience Zone and Nature Culture observation Center. For satisfying with ecological park aid mark and foundation mark, it was proposed to settle management plan for volunteer control and organization composition.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.13-23
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects experienced by cancer survivors through the forest therapy, and to provide evidence for applying the forest therapy program. Nineteen cancer survivors who participated in the forest therapy program hosted by K University were targeted, and qualitative data were collected through three focus group interviews. All interviews were recorded and transcribed and analyzed by subject-specific content analysis method. According to the research results, the attributes of forest therapy experienced by cancer survivors were 'Escape from bondage', 'Time to empty and fill the mind', 'Healing from positive forest stimulation', 'Self met in a space of rest', 'Initiative for life'. Five themes and fifteen sub-themes of 'recovery' were derived. These research results revealed a healing experience of feeling comfortable and physically relaxed through communication with the forest, discovering the self, and regaining initiative in life. It can be seen that the forest therapy is helpful in overcoming the physical, emotional, and psycho-social discomforts of cancer survivors.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.1
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• pp.127-132
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• 2015

Aim of this study was to investigate the influence of forest experience program on depression, anxiety, and self concept in adolescents living in urban area. A total of 47 adolescents living in Seoul, South Korea were recruited for the study and participated in a series of forest experience programs that the Korea National Park Service had developed. Before and after applying the program, their depression, anxiety, and self concept were evaluated using Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Revised Child Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and Offer Self Image Questionnaire-Revised (OSIQ). The outcome measures were analyzed using paired-t tests. CDI score was significantly reduced after the program (before:$12.41{\pm}8.34$, after:$8.65{\pm}9.48$). Excluding 16 participants whose scores of Lie Scale in the RCMAS were more than 8 on the analysis, the total RCMAS score showed significant reduction after the program (before:$14.87{\pm}7.30$, after:$10.81{\pm}7.81$). There was no significant difference in the total score of the total self-image scale in the OSIQ. However, the Self-confidence (SC) which was used as subscale of the OSIQ was significantly higher after the program (before:$29.94{\pm}3.71$, after:$38.11{\pm}6.45$), and the Idealism scale (I) in the OSIQ increased significantly after the program (before:$21.03{\pm}3.80$, after:$23.17{\pm}3.89$). On our analysis, the forest experience program showed considerable positive effects on depression and anxiety in adolescents. This result leads the postulation that the program might be helpful for adolescents to adapt to their surrounding experiences and to achieve improvement in interpersonal relationship.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.225-250
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• 2022

This study aims to examine the effects of infant's social development forest experience activities through meta-analysis. The final nine studies(total of 165 in the experimental group and 159 in the control group) were selected as a method of systematic review. Meta-analysis on overall effect size estimation, chi-square test, significance analysis, publication bias analysis, and subgroup analysis was performed using the R program. The overall effect size of 9 studies was 1.59, indicating a large effect size. As a result of subgroup analysis of the sub-factors of sociality, autonomy showed the largest effect size at 1.47, the adjusted effect size of cooperation was 1.34, the effect size adjusted for peer interaction was 1.29, and the adjusted effect size for perspective-taking ability was 0.97. All were found to have a statistically significant effect. To analyze the moderating effect, a meta-regression analysis was conducted on the participation period(4, 5~6, 7~8weeks), the number of sessions(6~10, 11~15, 16~20), the frequency per week(1, 2, 5), and the participation time(40, 60, 90, 120, 150min), but there was no statistical difference. Although not statistically significant, the effect size was larger when the participation period was 4 weeks, the number of sessions was 16 to 20, the frequency was 2 times per week, and the participation time was 40 minutes. This results can be usefully utilized by policy makers and forest commentators related to the vitalization of forest education through forest experience activities.