Immediate health and wellbeing benefits of short-term forest therapy for urban healthcare workers: a case study in Giant Panda National Park with cultural ecosystem services

作者：Ping Zhang, Yixin Cui, Rui Liu, Yifei Zhao, Wenjun Su, Li Zhao, Xiaohua Wang, Li Deng, Boya Wang, Jinpeng Li, Yanbin Yang, Mingze Chen, W. Grace Guo, Lin Song, Qingjie Zhang, Fuxi Xie, Saixin Cao, Guangyu Wang, Tongyao Zhang, Shihong Yang, Xi Li · 发表于：Frontiers in Psychology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1630999 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Urban Green Space and Health、Art Therapy and Mental Health、Landscape and Cultural Studies

The increasing frequency and prominence of global public health threats put urban healthcare workers at risk of physical and mental illness. Forest therapy holds crucial importance in promoting human health as a non-material benefit obtained from ecosystems. Cultural ecosystem services (CES) profoundly influence human welfare. National parks, due to their rich biodiversity and other favorable conditions, can support forest therapy and provide CES. This study organized 32 urban healthcare workers to participate in a two-day, two-night forest therapy in the Giant Panda National Park (GPNP), which provides CES, and examined immediate changes in their physical and mental health before and after the intervention. Among these, physiological indicators encompass respiratory and circulatory system, immune system, neurotransmitter system, physical fitness development, and sleep quality. Psychological indicators include self-restore and preferences, sensory perception, transcendent experiences, and personal subjective wellbeing. The results indicate that both forest bathing and sensory therapy activities within the GPNP may yield varying degrees of relaxation and concentration benefits. Forest therapy in medium hydrodynamic landscapes may offer significant physiological relaxation benefits for high-stress groups such as urban healthcare workers, while sensory therapy in forest environment may positively enhance concentration levels. Activities such as observation and experiential learn...