• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.245-254
• /
• 2020

Patients diagnosed with cancer face mental problems such as alienation, isolation, anxiety about death and fear, recovering from psychological difficulties. In this study, a forest healing program was provided for cancer patients to recover from psychological stress, depression, social isolation and self-esteem caused by cancer and changes in salivary cortisol through psychological and emotional recovery were measured. From September 19 to November 28, 2017, a forest healing program composed of a total of 10 sessions, two hours per session was provided for 12 cancer patients in the Forest of Taegyo located in Yongin. Psychological tests were performed with Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS), Korean-version Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the collected data were analyzed with the SPSS 18.0. The salivary cortisol level was measured along with the psychological tests and were analyzed by a specialized testing agency. The results of the analysis showed that the pre- and post-assessment score of SASS was 29.17 and 25.92, respectively, and that the pre- and post-assessment score of PSS was 30.50 and 23.92, respectively. The pre- and post-assessment score of BDI was 41.00 and 34.83, respectively, which showed significant differences. In addition, the pre- and post-assessment level of saliva cortisol was 3.13 and 1.68, respectively, showing a significant decrease. In short, the forest healing program was found to be effective in reducing physiological changes caused by social isolation and stress due to the emotional and psychological difficulties that the subjects who were diagnosed with cancer and were recovering from it have. In the future, it will be necessary to develop and implement a forest healing program by conducting a forest healing requirement survey on cancer patients.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.173-183
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to identify differences by business motivation of agro-healing farm s in Korea. A survey was conducted for entrepreneurs in agro-healing farmers with self-administered questionnaires. Main results of this study were as follows: First, business motivation of agro-healing farm s in Korea can be classified to 1) education-oriented, 2) care-oriented, and 3) sale revenue-oriented motivation. Second, care-oriented farms provide healing services to people in need like the disabled. These farms may be required a long-term program such as residence-required format. And these farms need supports of health and medical service personnel or institutions. Third, sale revenue-oriented farms have sources of main income from agricultural products or processed goods made in these farms. Therefore, these farms may be required a business strategy such as product development, marketing rather than agro-healing programs. fourth, the estimation of a Multinominal logistic regression model determines the characteristics of agro-healing entrepreneurs who are most likely to opt for each type motivation of participating for agro-healing farm business. the most important determinants on business motivation of agro-healing farms were 'participants type in programs', 'program operating time', 'supporting health and medical service personnel or institutions' and 'program revenue ratio in farm operating revenue'.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.575-589
• /
• 2018

This study analyzed the changes in Electroencephalogram(EEG) and Electrocardiogram(ECG) depending on the healing environment in order to find a way to improve the forest healing program based on the healing environment in response to the demand for qualitative improvement of the program since the program is a charged service. This study selected eight sites running forest healing programs at four national healing forests (i.e., Saneum, Cheongtaesan, Daegwanryeng, and Jangseong) - two routes per national healing forest - considering forest environments. This study chose NUMBER standard sampling plots ($20{\times}20m$) and measured three atmospheric environment items, seven physical environment items, two soil environment items, and eight vegetation environment items including forest sound and anion at each plot to evaluate physiological changes in it. EEG and ECG, which have been widely used in forest healing evaluation, were utilized as criteria. Seventy three subjects were selected with taking the age, drug, caffeine, smoking, and the time of last meal into consideration. As a result, EEG changes were correlated with three atmospheric environment items, six physical environment items, one soil environment item, and two vegetation environment items. ECG changes were significantly correlated with two atmospheric environment items, six physical environment items, two soil environment items, and two vegetation environment items (p<.05). It is expected that 11 environmental factors such as temperature, density, and altitude affecting EEG (e.g., alpha balance and gamma balance) and ECG (e.g., HRV mean) could be used as effective tools in developing more differentiated programs for improving healing effects.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.411-422
• /
• 2020

Background and objective: This study was conducted to find out the effects of healing farm resources and participant satisfaction on the level of stress and loyalty. Methods: The experiment was conducted on 18 subjects who participated in agro-healing activities (aged 49.5 years on average) and the concentration of cortisol, the level of stress and satisfaction with the services and program of a healing farm. The healing-agriculture activities were performed once a week, a total of 7 sessions, for 90 minutes and their saliva was collected before and after the activities. Results: The concentration of cortisol, a stress hormone, was statistically significantly reduced after the healing-agriculture activities in 5 out of 7 sessions. The total cortisol concentration showed statistically significant differences. The 6th session was comprised of different activities, compared to others, such as understanding weeds, managing a garden and making a pizza with fermentation enzymes, and the level of cortisol in the 6th session was the lowest after participating in the agro-healing activities, which indicated that the activities have the positive effect of lowering the level of stress. The level of stress was lowered from 18.39 to 16.78, which was consistent with the results of the concentration of cortisol. The level of satisfaction in the last session was below 50%, which indicated that the owner of the farm might be a little inexperienced in education and marketing on information and safety. The variables of participants including stress and satisfaction with services showed a strong influence on their loyalty. Conclusion: Satisfaction with services and loyalty to the healing farm showed a very high correlation, which was statistically significant. It also showed that participants' stress level and satisfaction with the services and program of the healing farm have a strong influence on their loyalty.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.555-564
• /
• 2020

Background and objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of an agro-healing program on the relationship satisfaction and emotional change between parents and children. Methods: We sent an official letter to D Office of Education with information and recruitment for the agro-healing program. Then D Office of Education has sent the official letter to elementary schools under the jurisdiction to recruit parents who were willing to participate in the programs with their children. The subjects were recruited by order of application, and 27 families participated, but 20 parent-child teams who attended all sessions and fully participated in the program were ultimately selected. From October 12 to November 16, 2019, a total of 6 sessions of the programs were held once a week at a care farm in Gyeongsangbuk-do. In the morning, they participated in a program that utilizes the resources of plants and animals in the care farm, and later participated in an indoor horticultural program in the afternoon. Results: In the parent-child relationship satisfaction test, it was found that communication was significantly increased after participating in the agro-healing program (p = .047). There were no statistically significant changes in the sentence completion tests written by the children, but their potential perception or attitude towards their parents changed more positively than before according to the content of the sentences. Conclusion: The agro-healing program could strengthen the relationship between parent and child by improving the parent-child relationship satisfaction and children's emotional attitude towards their parent.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.63-74
• /
• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of 3 day Forests healing programs for cognitive improvement, which consists of helpful contents of Korean medicine. Methods : This study examined the effects of forests healing for mild cognitive impairment patients, who visited a Korean medicine hospital neuropsychiatry clinic for outpatients. The Forests healing programs for cognitive improvement was run with 24 participants, in which 9 of them quit in the middle of the program, so excluded in data analysis. The Forests healing programs for cognitive improvement was consisted of 3 day helpful Korean medicine contents. The primary outcome measurement was a Computerized Neurocognitive Test (CNT), which measured the cognitive functions with computer programs. Results : The results of this study showed that CNT scores were not significantly changed after 3 day forests healing. General psychological states, including depression, anxiety, and anger, were also checked. Among them, depressive mood significantly improved. Quality of life (QOL) was also enhanced after 3 day program. These results indicate that the 3 day Forests healing programs for cognitive improvement was effective for depressive mood and QOL of mild cognitive impairment patients, but not enough for cognitive functions directly. Conclusions : The 3 day Forests healing programs for cognitive improvement were shown to be an effective intervention in improving some aspects of mild cognitive impairment patients, including depressive mood, and QOL. We suggest that repeated participation of this program can enhance cognitive function of mild cognitive impairment patients.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.355-364
• /
• 2019

This study was conducted to find out the effects of agro-healing activities and strolling on the physiological conditions of patients with chronic metabolic diseases. A total of 11 subjects participated in agro-healing activities, and their average age was 49.6±11.3. Changes in their salivary cortisol were compared and analyzed before and after participating in the agro-healing activity program, and it was found that the stress hormone decreased after participating in the program. Differences in brain wave between before and after participating in agro-healing activities and strolling were measured, and the ratio of alpha to high beta (RAHB) of subjects increased in most of the measured points after participating in agro-healing activities. In addition, the increase in the value in the temporal lobe (T3) that controls mortor skills and occipital lobe (O2) that controls visual functions indicates that the activities were effective in improving relaxation and stability. The relative low beta (RLB) power spectrum of subjects also statistically significantly decreased in the right occipital lobe (O2) that controls visual functions, the relative mid beta (RMB) and relative high beta (RHB) power spectrum decreased in the left temporal lobe (T3) and the right occipital lobe (O2). These results indicate that the activities were effective in improving relaxation under no stress and tension. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure of subjects after participating in agro-healing activities decreased from the prehypertension level to the normal level. These results indicate that horticultural activities and visual elements in healing farms, such as agro-healing activities and strolling, have positive impacts on patients with chronic metabolic diseases accompanied with diabetes or high blood pressure by increasing the brain activity and psycho-physiological conditions of participants.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.487-502
• /
• 2011

1. Objective This study was performed to research the biological change of forest healing according to Sasang constitution. 2. Methods Forty seven applicants are involved in this study. They were classified into three groups(Soyangin, Taeeumin, Soeumin) by QSCC II. And then they participated in forest healing program from March 26 to March 27 in 2011. We performed before and after experiment, including vital sign, electroencephalography(EEG), heart rate variability(HRV), complete blood cell count(CBC), biochemical test(BC), and stress hormones. 3. Results Men had the relaxative effect of tension. While, the group of women and Soyangin was more sensitive to sudden environmental change than the group of men or other constitutions. The tension of women and soyangin's group increased after the forest healing program. Soeumin group showed reduced diastolic blood pressure after the forest healing program. 3. Conclusions Forest healing program has shown better efficacy in relaxation in men than women, in lowering diastolic blood pressure in Soeumin group than other constitutional groups. However a single positive result within this study should be carefully interpreted.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.424-434
• /
• 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 People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.505-513
• /
• 2019

As the number of foreign workers increases in Korea, people's interest in their adaptation to this society has also increased. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a forest-healing program on foreign workers' cultural adaptation stress and psychological wellbeing. The experiment was conducted in a recreation forest located in Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do. The subjects who participated in this study included 40 foreign workers (16 males, 24 females). The experiment was conducted for three days and two nights from June 26 to 28, 2019. The forest healing program was composed of activities that can enhance immunity and restore physical and mental health by utilizing various healing environmental factors such as landscapes, sunlight, anion and oxygen in forest. The independent sample t-test was conducted to examine changes in cultural adaptation stress and psychological well-being before and after the program. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. As a result, cultural adaptation stress was statistically significantly reduced in sub-factors including discrimination experience, language conflict and legal status. Psychological wellbeing improved in all the surveyed sub-factors such as self-confidence, ego, immersion, and joy. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for reducing the stress foreign workers experience from cultural adaptation and restoring their psychological wellbeing in the future.