Association between a Marine Healing Program and Metabolic Syndrome Components and Mental Health Indicators.

Background and Objectives: Metabolic syndrome is a growing health concern globally, and its prevalence continues to increase. This study investigated whether a marine healing program could improve metabolic syndrome indicators and mental health in adults with a metabolic syndrome and those at risk of developing it. Materials and Methods: This study enrolled 30 participants who were assigned to either the experimental or control groups. The duration of the study was set at 4 weeks. Both groups received metabolic syndrome management education, and the experimental group additionally participated in two marine healing programs. Anthropometric indicators, biochemical indicators, and mental health indicators were collected before and after the intervention. Results: The findings indicate that the experimental group had significantly lower systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and body weight, as well as higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and uric acid. Mental health indicators (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and quality of life measures) additionally showed improvement. Pre-post comparisons between the experimental group and the control group showed that the experimental group had significantly decreased by 1.05 kg in body weight, whereas the control group increased by 0.29 kg in body weight. In addition, HDL-C decreased by 0.91 mg/dL in the control group and increased by 3.7 mg/dL in the experimental group. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that marine healing programs could improve metabolic syndrome indicators such as body weight and HDL-C better than the control treatment.

The Psychological Effects of a Campus Forest Therapy Program.

This study aimed to examine the psychological effects of a campus forest therapy program. To evaluate these, pre-test and post-test control group design was employed. A total of 38 participants participated in this study (19 in the campus forest therapy program group, and 19 in control). The Profile of Mood State (POMS) questionnaire and Modified form of the Stress Response Inventory (SRI-MF) were administered to each participant to assess psychological effects. The results of this study revealed that participants in the campus forest therapy program group had significantly positive increases in their mood and stress response compared with those of control group participants. In conclusion, the campus forest therapy program is an efficient strategy to provide psychological health benefits to university students and our study can inform decision-makers on the priority of the campus forest program in societal efforts to promote psychological well-being among university students.

Six-Step Model of Nature-Based Therapy Process.

Several studies have confirmed that the natural environment has psychophysiological healing effects. However, few studies have investigated the healing process involved in the effect of the natural environment. To date, no theoretical model on the nature-based therapy process has been clearly established. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model of the nature-based therapy process by analyzing individual empirical data. Research materials were 180 self-reported essays on "Forest Therapy Experiences" submitted to the Korea Forest Service. This study was conducted based on grounded theory. Data were analyzed through open coding. A total of 82 concepts, 21 subcategories, and six categories were derived. Results revealed that the nature-based therapy process contained six categories: Stimulation, acceptance, purification, insight, recharging, and change. When in the natural environment, participants first experienced positive emotional change, followed by cognitive and behavioral changes. Based on these results, a nature-based therapy process model was derived. This study revealed that the nature-based therapy process did not consist of just a single element or step, but involved an integrated way of healing with emotional and cognitive changes. This study is significant in that it derives a theoretical model of the nature-based therapy process with comprehensive mechanisms. Further research is needed to establish more systematic theoretical model.