Illuminating conceptual heterogeneity and the information pandemic in forest therapy: A preliminary systematic review

Forest Therapy (FT), described as an evidence-based intervention inspired by forest environments, is gaining increasing attention. Despite its progress, the effects of heterogeneous FT definitions remain under-investigated. This systematic review aimed: (1) to compare FT definitions by considering whether they mention (a) the FT evidence-based roots (resource ‘valuability’), (b) publichealth targets (‘concentration’ or ‘rarity’), (c) links to forest bathing (‘inimitability’), (d) links to outdoorhealth institutions (‘non-substitutability’); and (2) to comprehend the process through which such heterogeneity can trigger value co-destruction processes. Our search of the Scopus database on 25 February 2023 yielded 88 studies containing the search term ‘forest therapy’ in title; they had been published from 2011 to 2023. Of these, we included only articles (69 studies). After selecting 36 articles, we assessed the FT definitions by performing content analysis. We rated a definition with ‘1’ when it satisfied one or more of the above-mentioned requisites through applying the well-rooted Hollerith model. The results include a discussion and a quantitative assessment of the definitions. FT definitions represent a new research object in the FT research field. We categorised those definitions and discussed their heterogeneity by implementing a theoretically rooted methodology. We operationalised value co-destruction processes triggered by heterogenous definitions without the aforementioned quality attributes. We identified negative externalities and a high risk of an information pandemic. Finally, we discuss additional research directions.