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A Study on the Effects of Forest Therapy on Sarcopenia

11 septembre 2026 mis à jour par: National Taiwan University Hospital

Purpose: The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of an 8-week Forest Based Intervention program on muscle strength, physical performance, and psychological well-being in older women with sarcopenia.

Duration: The program lasts for 8 weeks, with 2 sessions per week (16 sessions total). Each session is approximately 180 minutes.

Activities: Participants will take part in a structured program at the Caoling Shibi Forest Healing Base in Yunlin. The program includes forest trail walking, resistance training using elastic bands, stretching, and sensory activities such as aromatherapy and deep breathing.

Assessments: Researchers will evaluate physical indicators and psychological well-being before the program, immediately after, and at a 1-month follow-up.

Goal: We hope to determine if combining structured exercise with the forest environment can effectively improve the health and quality of life for older women with sarcopenia.

Aperçu de l'étude

Statut

Complété

Les conditions

Intervention / Traitement

Description détaillée

Background and Rationale: Sarcopenia is a common skeletal muscle disease in the elderly characterized by the loss of muscle mass, strength, and physical performance. While resistance training and nutrition are core management strategies, Forest Healing has been shown to reduce stress (cortisol), regulate the autonomic nervous system, and improve immune function. This study aims to validate a standardized "manualized" forest healing intervention for sarcopenia, utilizing a cross-border collaboration framework between Taiwan and South Korea.

Study Design & Environmental Monitoring: This is a single-arm, pre-post intervention study (quasi-experimental design) conducted at the Caoling Shibi Forest Healing Base (altitude 1,500-1,700m). A unique aspect of this trial is the quantification of environmental factors, including phytoncide concentrations, negative ions, and thermal comfort indices (PMV, PPD), to explore the mechanistic relationship between the forest environment and physiological adaptations.

Intervention Protocol: The standardized 180-minute sessions are designed to integrate physical conditioning with psychological relaxation. The technical protocol dictates:

Aerobic and Balance Training: Forest trail walking maintained at a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) of 12-13.

Resistance Training: Elastic band exercises targeting upper and lower limbs (3 sets of 8-10 repetitions) at an RPE of 9-13.

Core Forest Therapy: Sensory awareness, aromatherapy, and deep breathing to promote parasympathetic activation.

Psychological Promotion: Facilitated group interactions and experience sharing to enhance social connection and intervention adherence.

Safety Protocol: To ensure participant safety in a mountainous terrain, the study has established a comprehensive three-tier medical safety mechanism. This includes on-site first aid by certified instructors, local AED medical services, and a dedicated emergency medical "green channel" established with the National Taiwan University Hospital, Yunlin Branch.

Type d'étude

Interventionnel

Inscription (Réel)

36

Phase

  • N'est pas applicable

Contacts et emplacements

Cette section fournit les coordonnées de ceux qui mènent l'étude et des informations sur le lieu où cette étude est menée.

Lieux d'étude

  • Taïwan
      • Yunlin County, Taïwan, 640
        • National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch

Critères de participation

Les chercheurs recherchent des personnes qui correspondent à une certaine description, appelée critères d'éligibilité. Certains exemples de ces critères sont l'état de santé général d'une personne ou des traitements antérieurs.

Critère d'éligibilité

Âges éligibles pour étudier

  • Adulte
  • Adulte plus âgé

Accepte les volontaires sains

Non

La description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female aged 55 years or older.
  • Meet the AWGS 2025 criteria for sarcopenia (low handgrip strength and low skeletal muscle mass index).
  • Able to walk independently or with assistive devices and safely participate in low-to-moderate intensity exercise training.
  • Willing to commit to the 8-week intervention (16 sessions total) and provide signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of major acute illness, hospitalization, or surgery within the past 3 months.
  • Severe cardiovascular, respiratory, or other systemic diseases that make moderate-intensity exercise unsafe.
  • Severe osteoarticular or neurological disorders that significantly impair walking or exercise safety.
  • Severe cognitive impairment that prevents understanding of study procedures or cooperation with the intervention.
  • Presence of implanted medical devices (e.g., pacemakers) that would interfere with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
  • Regular participation in structured resistance training or high-intensity exercise within the past 3 months.

Plan d'étude

Cette section fournit des détails sur le plan d'étude, y compris la façon dont l'étude est conçue et ce que l'étude mesure.

Comment l'étude est-elle conçue ?

Détails de conception

  • Objectif principal: La prévention
  • Répartition: N / A
  • Modèle interventionnel: Affectation à un seul groupe
  • Masquage: Aucun (étiquette ouverte)

Armes et Interventions

Groupe de participants / Bras
Intervention / Traitement
Expérimental: Forest-Based Intervention Group

Participants will undergo an 8-week structured forest healing program (2 sessions/week, 16 sessions total) at the Caoling Shibi Forest Healing Base

. Each 180-minute session, led by certified instructors, includes forest trail walking (aerobic/balance), elastic band resistance training, nature-based sensory immersion (forest therapy), and group psychological support. The intervention follows a standardized manual focused on improving muscle strength and physical function.
Comportemental: Forest-Based Intervention Program
An 8-week structured intervention (16 sessions total, 180 min each) conducted at the Caoling Shibi Forest Healing Base. The program integrates physical exercise (forest trail walking and elastic band resistance training) with nature-based sensory immersion (aromatherapy, deep breathing, and nature awareness). The intervention follows a manualized protocol led by certified instructors, specifically designed to improve muscle strength, physical function, and psychological well-being in older women.
Autres noms:
  • Forest Therapy

Que mesure l'étude ?

Principaux critères de jugement

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Handgrip Strength
Délai: Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.
Measured using a Smedley hand dynamometer for the dominant hand to evaluate maximum muscle strength. Handgrip strength is a key clinical indicator for sarcopenia diagnosis. Values are reported in kilograms (kg).
Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.
Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
Délai: Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.

A standardized assessment of lower extremity function, including balance tests, gait speed tests, and five times chair stand tests.

Scale title: Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Minimum value: 0, Maximum value: 12. Higher scores indicate better physical performance.
Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.

Mesures de résultats secondaires

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Skeletal Muscle Mass Index (SMI)
Délai: Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.
Measured via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) using the ACCUNIQ BC380. It is calculated as Appendicular Skeletal Muscle mass divided by height squared to track muscle mass changes. Values are reported in kg/m2.
Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.
Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-36)
Délai: Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.

Assessed using the Taiwan version of the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) to evaluate the participant's physical and mental health status.

Scale title: 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Minimum value: 0, Maximum value: 100. Higher scores indicate better outcomes (better health-related quality of life).
Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.
Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS)
Délai: Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.

The Taiwan short-form version (GDS-15) is used to evaluate changes in depressive symptoms among participants based on their feelings over the past week. The assessment consists of 15 questions.

Scale title: 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Minimum value: 0, Maximum value: 15. Higher scores indicate worse outcomes (more severe depressive symptoms).
Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Délai: Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.

The Taiwan version is used to assess sleep habits and quality over the previous month, calculating a global total score.

Scale title: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Minimum value: 0, Maximum value: 21. Higher scores indicate worse outcomes (poorer sleep quality).
Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)
Délai: Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.

Used to measure changes in emotional states following the forest healing intervention based on actual feelings over the past week. The questionnaire consists of 20 items rated on a 1 to 5 scale.

Scale title: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). This assessment comprises two subscales.

  • For the Positive Affect subscale: Minimum value is 10, Maximum value is 50. Higher scores indicate better outcomes (higher levels of positive affect).
  • For the Negative Affect subscale: Minimum value is 10, Maximum value is 50. Higher scores indicate worse outcomes (higher levels of negative affect).
Baseline, 2 months, and 3 months.

Collaborateurs et enquêteurs

C'est ici que vous trouverez les personnes et les organisations impliquées dans cette étude.

Parrainer

National Taiwan University Hospital

Collaborateurs

Chungnam National University

Les enquêteurs

  • Chercheur principal: Kai-Chieh Chang, MD, National Taiwan University Hospital

Publications et liens utiles

La personne responsable de la saisie des informations sur l'étude fournit volontairement ces publications. Il peut s'agir de tout ce qui concerne l'étude.

Publications générales

Dates d'enregistrement des études

Ces dates suivent la progression des dossiers d'étude et des soumissions de résultats sommaires à ClinicalTrials.gov. Les dossiers d'étude et les résultats rapportés sont examinés par la Bibliothèque nationale de médecine (NLM) pour s'assurer qu'ils répondent à des normes de contrôle de qualité spécifiques avant d'être publiés sur le site Web public.

Dates principales de l'étude

Début de l'étude (Réel)

13 mai 2026

Achèvement primaire (Réel)

24 août 2026

Achèvement de l'étude (Réel)

24 août 2026

Dates d'inscription aux études

Première soumission

2 juin 2026

Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

2 juin 2026

Première publication (Réel)

8 juin 2026

Mises à jour des dossiers d'étude

Dernière mise à jour publiée (Réel)

15 septembre 2026

Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

11 septembre 2026

Dernière vérification

1 juin 2026

Plus d'information

Termes liés à cette étude

Mots clés

Termes MeSH pertinents supplémentaires

Autres numéros d'identification d'étude

  • 202603112RINA

Plan pour les données individuelles des participants (IPD)

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INDÉCIS

Informations sur les médicaments et les dispositifs, documents d'étude

Étudie un produit pharmaceutique réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

Étudie un produit d'appareil réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

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