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DocumentEffects of forest therapy programs on the psychological and physiological improvement of firefighters
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Firefighters are constantly exposed to dangerous incidents of fire suppression, emergency relief and first aid activities. They go through posttraumatic stress disorder by terrible incidents and disasters, and long-term stress leads to depression threatening their mental health. This study was carried out with the purpose of inquiring into effects of the experience of forest therapy programs of four nights and five days obtained in a psychological and physiological perspective, oriented to firefighters who are mentally and physically tired by stress from urgent and dangerous field works and long-term shift works. 108 firefighters participate in the programs of stress resilience (four nights and five days), the program customized to firefighters held in National Center for Forest Activities. To inquire into psychological and physiological effects before and after the participation in the programs, this study conducted the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL-5-K) and the test of mood states (K-POMS-B), as well as measured quality of sleep and heart rate variability. For the analysis, mean comparison was made by using a paired t-test. According to the analysis of psychological index, posttraumatic stress disorder reduced from 11.44 (before participation) to 5.14 (after participation), showing statistically significant changes. As for mood states, the score decreased from 6.50 to 5.53. On the other hand, quality of sleep diminished from 33.85 to 28.73, manifesting statistically significant improvement. HRV likewise improved statistically significantly. This study verified that forest therapy programs contributed to relieving stress of firefighters, increasing their physical and psychological stability, and improving quality of sleep. The research results expect that forest therapy programs can be applied as a base data to strengthen stress resilience of firefighters and prevent their posttraumatic stress disorder. Keywords: Human health and well-being, Research ID: 3484445 -
DocumentA preliminary study regarding changes in psychological, cognitive and physical functions through participation in forest therapy programs for dementia prevention of the elderly
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Since it is difficult to cure dementia completely, the effort of preventing and managing the occurrence is primordial. Along with non-pharmacological treatment, there is growing interests in the healing method applying a variety of forest therapy factors. For the programs, 30 participants aged from 60-80 were selected and they were divided into an experimental group (20 people) and a control group (10 people). The experimental group took part in the forest therapy programs of six nights and seven days, while the control group led a normal life without involvement in the programs. The study carried out tests twice before and after participation in the programs, such as a psychological index test (anxiety, depression, quality of life), a cognition index test (CERAD-K, CANTAB), and a biomarker test (cortisol, infection index, melatonin, heart rate variability, blood pressure). The test results of psychological index of the experimental group manifested effectiveness in that the anxiety scale significantly reduced, while the scale of quality of life showed statistical significance in three categories. According to the cognition index test, subordinate three categories significantly improved in CANTAB. Statistical significance was observed in autonomic nervous system activity regarding heart rate variability, and in systolic blood pressure regarding blood pressure. According to the CERAD-K test studying the difference between the two groups (experimental group vs control group), significant changes between the two groups were observed in the categories of path making B and constructional praxis. The main study that will be conducted in the future will inquire about the medical and scientific effects of forest therapy through a variety of research designs in the long term, and it is expected that the future study will serve as an alternative to prevention of dementia. Keywords: Human health and well-being ID: 3479125 -
Book (stand-alone)Pakistan dietary guidelines for better nutrition 2018
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No results found.The first national DGs were developed in 2005 by the Ministry of Health, Government of Pakistan to provide dietary recommendations for infants, children and adults. A lack of dietary diversification, unsatisfactory maternal and child care practices, industrialization and changing lifestyles in addition to natural catastrophes have led to a deteriorating nutrition situation in the country, that made it essential to review the relationship between diet and disease in the local context and revisit the existing food based dietary guidelines to mitigate the risk factors for under and over-nutrition and chronic diseases. The revised PDGN have taken into account the local dietary practices, cooking methods, cost of diet, nutrition and health situation of the population, socio-cultural practices, economic and environmental conditions to meet the nutritional requirements of individuals by and large. As food consumption and dietary patterns of individuals vary from country to country, so do the dietary guidelines developed to meet the nutritional requirements of the population on the basis of age, gender and physiological status. Similarly with the passage of time, there has been an increase in population growth, rural to urban migration as well as change in dietary habits, socio-economic conditions, lifestyles and prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Hence, dietary guidelines need to be revised to meet the changing population needs. The PDGN provide a list of foods with portion sizes to help the general public make smart and healthy food choices for a healthy, long and active life. Women of childbearing age, preschool children and adolescents are more vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies due to their increased physiological requirements and prevailing dietary and socio-cultural practices. The development and implementation of age specific dietary guidelines thus is vital for maintaining nutritional balance, weight management, prevention of diseases and improving the quality of life of the population particularly the most vulnerable groups. PDGN are resource for evidence-based decisions making and better policy choices. They also serve as tool for programme managers and professionals engaged in agriculture, food, nutrition and health related activities to develop cost-effective policies, strategies and nutrition programmes that promote healthy diet, support production, access and utilization of safe and nutritious foods, including interventions to reduce and control diet related diseases.
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