Effects of Nature-Based Intervention in Occupational Health Care on Stress – A Finnish Pilot Study Comparing Stress Evaluation Methods

• Published in: Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare
• Main Authors: Lipponen,Maija, Hallikainen,Ville, Kilpeläinen,Pekka
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Press 2022
• Subjects: Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare; Pekka; Rovaniemi
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/effects-of-nature-based-intervention-in-occupational-health-care-on-st-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH

Maija Lipponen,1 Ville Hallikainen,2 Pekka Kilpeläinen3 1Unit of Bioeconomy and Environment, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Paltamo, Finland; 2Unit of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Rovaniemi, Finland; 3Unit of Measurement Technology, Kajaani University Consortium, University of Oulu, Kajaani, FinlandCorrespondence: Maija Lipponen, Unit of Bioeconomy and Environment, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Manamansalontie 90, Paltamo, FI-88300, Finland, Tel [phone], Email [e-mail]: To assess methodology and its limitations for measuring effects of nature-based intervention (NBI).Patients and Methods: Participants were 11 middle-aged female health care workers with lowered capacity to work. NBI included six group appointments in six months study period. Heart rate variability (HRV) and self-reported pain and work exhaustion were measured pre-post study period. Salivary α-amylase samples were collected immediately before and after three individual interventions. Salivary cortisol samples were collected on the same three interventions, on three consecutive days starting from the day of intervention, to assess (a) month effect (pre-post study period) and (b) day effect (intervention day vs non-intervention day).Results: Individual interventions resulted in increase in α-amylase activity. However, the average fold increase decreased from the 3.05 ± 1.20 of the first intervention to 1.91 ± 1.00 and 1.46 ± 0.77 in the second and third intervention, respectively (p < 0.001). Cortisol concentrations were lower on intervention days vs non-intervention days, the difference being indicative (p = 0.050). Pain and work exhaustion decreased during the study period, as well as HRV, although any of these changes was not statistically significant.Conclusion: For a large-scale study, it would be ideal to select assays for both major pathways: hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis can be measured by cortisol, whereas response via autonomic nervous system can be measured ...