Green Exercise for Emotional Health: Effects on Alexithymia, Depression, and Quality of Life in Older Adults-A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Green exercise combined with aerobic and resistance training significantly improved quality of life in older adults compared to controls at 12 weeks.

• Quality of life was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Module for the Elderly (WHOQOL-OLD)
• Significant group difference was found: F = 85.895, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.585
• Effect size was characterized as large (η2 = 0.585)
• The intervention was applied once a week for 12 weeks to community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older

Green exercise combined with aerobic and resistance training significantly reduced alexithymia scores in older adults compared to controls at 12 weeks.

• Alexithymia was measured using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20)
• Significant group difference was found: F = 51.099, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.456
• Effect size was characterized as large (η2 = 0.456)
• The study included 64 community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older randomly assigned to exercise or control groups

Green exercise combined with aerobic and resistance training significantly reduced depression scores in older adults compared to controls at 12 weeks.

• Depression was measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
• Significant group difference was found: F = 26.539, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.303
• Effect size was characterized as large (η2 = 0.303)
• The intervention was delivered once weekly over 12 weeks in a randomised controlled trial design

The study employed a randomised controlled trial design with 64 community-dwelling older adults assigned to green exercise or control conditions.

• Participants were community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older
• Total sample size was 64 participants randomly assigned to an exercise group or a control group
• The exercise intervention consisted of green exercises combined with aerobic and resistance exercises applied once a week for 12 weeks
• The trial was registered as NCT05342142

Incorporating natural environments into structured physical activity may provide additional benefits for affect regulation and psychological well-being in older adults.

• The authors suggest green exercise 'may serve as an accessible and effective intervention to improve mental health and support healthy aging'
• All three primary outcomes (quality of life, alexithymia, and depression) showed large effect sizes
• The findings specifically implicate benefits for 'affect regulation,' as evidenced by improvements in alexithymia
• The discussion frames green exercise as potentially more beneficial than standard exercise due to the natural environment component