Effects of Forest Therapy on Physical and Psychological Parameters in the General Population - a Randomized Controlled Trial

NCT ID: NCT05562128

Last Updated: 2025-05-31

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 120 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-10-10
• Study Completion Date: 2025-08-31

Brief Summary

In recent years, nature and forest therapy has increasingly become the focus of medical research. Recent scientific findings indicate overall positive effects of nature and forest therapy on physical and mental health. In Asia and Australia, it has already been implemented as a public health concept of prevention and health promotion. The aim of the project is to replicate the experience gained in Asia over the last three decades on the physical and psychological effects of nature/forest therapy in the context of the German forest and to investigate it further scientifically.

Conditions

General Population (no Specific Condition or Disease)

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Active forest therapy

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Active forest therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants take part in a two-hour active clinical forest therapy in Berlin-Wannsee on two days (with a break day in between). In this setting, a trained clinical forest therapist teaches exercises on the perception of nature and the connection between nature and health.

Passive forest therapy

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Passive forest therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants take part in a two-hour passive clinical forest therapy in Berlin-Wannsee over two days (with a break day in between). In this setting, a trained clinical forest therapist will guide participants to various locations in the forest where participants can stay and let nature have its effect on them.

Waiting list

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Active forest therapy

Participants take part in a two-hour active clinical forest therapy in Berlin-Wannsee on two days (with a break day in between). In this setting, a trained clinical forest therapist teaches exercises on the perception of nature and the connection between nature and health.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Passive forest therapy

Participants take part in a two-hour passive clinical forest therapy in Berlin-Wannsee over two days (with a break day in between). In this setting, a trained clinical forest therapist will guide participants to various locations in the forest where participants can stay and let nature have its effect on them.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Ability to Consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Serious acute or chronic illness
• Immobility or limitation of mobility due to orthopedic, neurologic, or other medical causes
• Participation in another study
• Serious mental illness
• Pregnancy and lactation.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 90 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Charite University, Berlin, Germany

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Andreas Michalsen

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Charité Hochschulambulanz für Naturheilkunde am Immanuel Krankenhaus

Berlin, State of Berlin, Germany

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Germany

Facility Contacts

Miriam Rösner, Study nurse

Role: primary

m.roesner@immanuel.de

00493080505682

Other Identifiers

KWT2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id