Online forest bathing compared with waitlist control improved symptom severity, rumination and social connection in adults with impaired mobility

Background: Although access and connection with nature are evidenced to benefit human health and wellbeing, often adults with impaired mobility struggle to find accessible nature or accessible nature connection activities. This study aimed to evaluate whether online Accessible Nature Wellbeing Programs (ANWPs) could improve health and wellbeing outcomes for adults with impaired mobility. Methods: In a waitlist controlled, repeated measures design, 71 adults self-identifying as having impaired mobility and/or low energy completed an online survey during a one-week waitlist control period, before engaging with six online sessions, completing post-intervention surveys within 24h of the last session and at one month follow-up. Results: Compared with the waitlist control period, there were statistically significant reductions in Symptom severity, rumination about problems, and Tension, which were largely maintained at one month follow-up. Especially striking for this population was that pain reduced by 23.8% with treatment, in contrast to people on the waiting list who showed small improvements in pain of 3.6%. Conclusions: Online sessions resulted in significant improvements in symptom severity, rumination and Tension and could be considered an accessible and inexpensive adjunct therapy for adults with impaired mobility. Where people have limited access to in-person nature and nature connection activities, online virtual nature may offer an alternative to improve health and wellbeing outcomes.