According to the World Health Organization (2013), health encompasses not just the absence of disease but a state of holistic well-being, spanning physical, mental, and social dimensions. An estimated one in five individuals in the general population experienced varying degrees of mental health challenges (Food and Health Bureau, 2017). Some common mental health issues are linked to stress of modern urban life including fast-paced urban lifestyles, prolonged work hours, and high population density. This alarming scenario underscores the pressing need to promote lifestyle modifications to address these challenges effectively.

With approximately 70% of Hong Kong’s land clothed in greenery, there is a great potential to advance nature therapy, which is a stigma-free, side-effect-free, and cost-effective avenue to bolster mental health.
Forest bathing has emerged as an evidence-based method that can alleviate anxiety, depression and stress. Our clinical trial has confirmed that self-help forest bathing effectively reduces anxiety and stress (See, 2020). Another trial has affirmed the positive impacts of forest bathing on mental health, revealing minimal discrepancies between urban and rural green spaces (Malhi et al., 2015).
Therefore, our team will develop a forest bathing smartphone app with just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs). JITAIs facilitates real-time and real-word monitoring, enabling the delivery of personalised and adaptive forest bathing interventions that can address dynamic individual needs precisely. The app also incorporates features such as psychoeducation, guided meditations, forest bathing exercises and journaling.

According to the World Health Organization (2013), health encompasses not just the absence of disease but a state of holistic well-being, spanning physical, mental, and social dimensions. An estimated one in five individuals in the general population experienced varying degrees of mental health challenges (Food and Health Bureau, 2017). Some common mental health issues are linked to stress of modern urban life including fast-paced urban lifestyles, prolonged work hours, and high population density. This alarming scenario underscores the pressing need to promote lifestyle modifications to address these challenges effectively.

Our primary beneficiaries are people who want to improve their mental well- being, or those with mental health needs. We estimate that 300 of them will be interested. Our secondary beneficiaries are the general public, with a focus on urban residents. We estimate that 500-800 of them will be interested.

2025

App Development, Mental Health, Well-being