Nature-based interventions: A scoping review illuminating the field’s swift evolution, wide applicability for health and well-being, and the need for enhanced reporting
Literature review on the beneficial impacts of nature-based intervention studies highlights the need for enhanced reporting
Research focusing on the beneficial impacts of nature-based interventions (NBIs) has been growing rapidly over recent decades with considerable variation in terminology, research designs, and measures. The aim of this review was to discover the terminology used to identify the NBIs, describe the interventions and their contexts, and describe the methods and measurement tools used in the current research. Studies focusing on animal-based therapies and virtual-reality therapies were not included in the review.
A total of 416 studies published as dissertations and peer-reviewed articles were identified and reviewed. The studies represented 56 countries (with most of them from the United States (31.0%) and the United Kingdom (13.0%). Four studies considered NBIs across multiple countries. The studies were published in 160 peer-reviewed journals, with more being published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health than any other journal. The most commonly used sites for NBIs were urban green environments, such as neighborhood parks (43.3%). Other NBI sites were forests and woodlands (26.7%), wilderness (20.0%), water bodies (12.5%), countryside/farmland (4.1%), and desert (1.0%). Forty-three sites (10.3%) were unspecified or other (10.3%). Terms used to identify the NBIs included wilderness therapy (7.5%), forest therapy (5.8%), walking in nature (5.5%), and green exercise (4.1%). The most common NBIs with repeated sessions were horticultural therapy (28.8%), nature-based exercise (22.9%), and engaging/sitting/noticing nature (18.8%).
Most of the studies focused on college students and adults without specified health concerns or characteristics. Only 49 of the studies (11.8%) focused on children and adolescents with mental health and behavioral problems; 5 on children with physical health concerns or developmental disorders (e.g., cancer, organ transplant, autism) (1.2%). Outcomes measured include nature relatedness and a wide variety of physical and mental health areas, including physical activity, cardiovascular health, mood, depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, self-esteem, locus of control, restoration, attention, and hope. Key findings regarding outcomes showed that (1) “All nature is not the same, and different environments can have diverse effects” and that (2) the “essence of the natural setting is a key component in NBI programming.”
The study identified “three needs in NBI research: (1) the development of an NBI reporting checklist, (2) the adoption of a consistent naming convention, and (3) increased rigor in study design.” Specific recommendations for each of these needs are offered.
Citation
Moyers-Kinsella, S. I., Kelley, G. A., Abildso, C. G., (2024). Nature-based interventions: A scoping review illuminating the field’s swift evolution, wide applicability for health and well-being, and the need for enhanced reporting. Ecopsychology
