published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Background  Occupation-focused and occupation-based interventions can potentially promote occupational engagement among community-dwelling older people, but there is limited evidence to identify the most effective and cost-effective interventions. For independent-living older people, there is a lack of evidence to determine if occupation-focused and occupation-based interventions have an effect on their occupational engagement. For older people who need assistance because of bathing disabilities, there is limited evidence of the effects of occupation-focused and occupation-based interventions on their occupational engagement or for reducing or omitting their need for assistance. Finally, there is limited evidence to determine if occupation-focused and occupation-based interventions implemented for community-dwelling older people are cost effective. Aim The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the effects and cost effectiveness of occupation-focused and occupation-based interventions for two groups of community-dwelling older people, independent-living, community-dwelling older people and older people with bathing disabilities. Method Studies I and II were based on an exploratory randomized controlled trial. One hundred and seventy seven persons, 77–82 years, single living, and without need for home help were randomized to a no-intervention control group or to one of three occupational therapy interventions focused on promoting occupational engagement: an individual intervention, an activity group or a discussion group. In study I, effect sizes for leisure engagement and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) tasks were estimated for each intervention in relation to the control group to identify the most effective intervention at 3 and 12 months after baseline. In study II, the effects on quality adjusted life years (QALYs) and the total costs for the intervention, social services provided by the municipality and health care were used evaluate cost-effectiveness. Study III was a quasi-experimental clinical trial and included 95 persons, 65+, who had applied for municipality-based home help with bathing. For participants in the intervention group, occupational therapists implemented occupation-focused and occupation-based interventions. No occupational therapy intervention was implemented for those in the control group, but they were allocated home help services if judged to need it based on an assessment by a municipality care manager. Evaluations of ADL ability, self-rated health and allocated home help were implemented at baseline and after 15 weeks. Study IV involved the use of decision-modeling based on a five state Markov model that included levels of dependency in ADLs, place of residency and death. Probabilities for transitions between states in the model, QoL scores and societal costs for each state were derived from previous research. Overall, the model was based on research indicating that more severe levels of dependency reduced QALY scores and increased societal costs. Previous trials have provided evidence that an occupation-focused and occupation-based intervention implemented to reduce bathing disabilities increased the probability of independence of home help. The Markov model was used to evaluate cost-effectiveness over 8 years for an intervention compared to no intervention. Results The results of study I indicated that each intervention had a small positive effect on minimizing a decline in leisure engagement and/or ADL, but no intervention was clearly superior. In study II, the results indicated that the interventions delivered in a group format positively affected self-rated health. The discussion group was the most cost-effective intervention. The results of study III indicated that the intervention had no effect on ADL ability or self-rated health. There was, however, a large difference in the allocation of home help at follow up, indicating that the intervention was effective in reducing dependency on home help for bathing. The results of study IV indicated that compared to no intervention, the intervention resulted in a positive accumulation of QALYs and lower costs for every year during the entire 8 year period. Conclusion This thesis provides evidence to support the implementation of occupation-focused and occupation-based interventions for independent-living, community-dwelling older people in order to reduce their decline in occupational engagement and improve their self-rated health; the interventions also have the potential to be cost effective. This thesis also provides evidence that an occupation-focused and occupation-based intervention implemented for older people with bathing disabilities was effective in promoting independence from home help for bathing. Finally, an occupation-focused and occupation-based intervention that increased the probability of being independent of home help for bathing had a positive impact on the long term accumulation of QALYs and reduced societal costs and, therefore, can be considered very cost effective.

As preocupações com a integridade e o equilíbrio ambiental das regiões costeiras decorrem do fato de serem as mais ameaçadas do planeta, justamente por representarem para as sociedades humanas um elo de ligação e de intensa troca de mercadorias entre si, com a exploração desordenada e muitas vezes predatória de seus recursos naturais, tornado-se, já na era industrial o principal local de lazer, turismo ou moradia de grandes massas de populações urbanos. A vocação de uso de determinada paisagem esta relacionada às funções que a mesma desempenha. O que ocorre é que o padrão de desenvolvimento adotado e a atual configuração sócio-econômica determinam usos que nem sempre coincidem com a sua melhor utilização. A fim de subsidiar futuros planos de uso e ocupação racional do solo das áreas naturais adjacentes ao Balneário Cassino (Rio Grande, RS), de acordo com os preceitos do Gerenciamento Costeiro Integrado, desenvolveu-se um Dianóstico Sócio-Ambiental da área dentro de abordagem sistêmica. Foram considerados principais componentes e processos urbanos e ambientais, definidos a partir da interpretação de aerofotografias, levantamentos de campo quali-quantitativos e informações bibliográficas. Os resultados são apresentados na forma de tabelas, quadros, levantamentos fotográficos, modelos diagramáticos conceituais, e mapas temáticos, que permitiram entender a organização estrutural e funcional da paisagem, e fundamentar uma ordenação espacial dos usos desta área, de modo a adequá-los às suas especificidades ambientais, histórico-culturais, sócio-econômicas e legais. / The integrity and the environmental equilibrium of coastal zones are increasingly becoming a concern to environmental scientists. Coastal environments are one of the most threatened in the world. Besides, they represent, to the human societies, a link of connection and intense exchange of merchandise amongst each other, with disordered and, at many times, predatory exploration, becoming, already at the industrial age, a main site of leisure, tourism and habitation of large masses of urban population. The vocation of a determined landscape is related to the functions and roles it plays. What actually occurs is that the development pattern adopted and the actual socio-economics determine the uses, which not always coincide with its best utilization. In order to assist future plans of rational use and occupation of natural areas adjacent to Cassino's Bathing Resort (Rio Grande, RS), in agreement with the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, a social-environmental diagnosis of the study site was developed using the systemic approach. The main environmental and urban processes and components were considered. They were defined based on aerophotos interpretation, quail-quantitative field survey and bibliographic information. The results, presented in the form of tables, photographic surveys, conceptual diagrammatic models and thematic maps, allowed to understand the structural and functional organization of the landscape and to establish a spatial ordering of land use to adequate them to their environmental, historic-social, socioeconomics and legal specificities.

As preocupações com a integridade e o equilíbrio ambiental das regiões costeiras decorrem do fato de serem as mais ameaçadas do planeta, justamente por representarem para as sociedades humanas um elo de ligação e de intensa troca de mercadorias entre si, com a exploração desordenada e muitas vezes predatória de seus recursos naturais, tornado-se, já na era industrial o principal local de lazer, turismo ou moradia de grandes massas de populações urbanos. A vocação de uso de determinada paisagem esta relacionada às funções que a mesma desempenha. O que ocorre é que o padrão de desenvolvimento adotado e a atual configuração sócio-econômica determinam usos que nem sempre coincidem com a sua melhor utilização. A fim de subsidiar futuros planos de uso e ocupação racional do solo das áreas naturais adjacentes ao Balneário Cassino (Rio Grande, RS), de acordo com os preceitos do Gerenciamento Costeiro Integrado, desenvolveu-se um Dianóstico Sócio-Ambiental da área dentro de abordagem sistêmica. Foram considerados principais componentes e processos urbanos e ambientais, definidos a partir da interpretação de aerofotografias, levantamentos de campo quali-quantitativos e informações bibliográficas. Os resultados são apresentados na forma de tabelas, quadros, levantamentos fotográficos, modelos diagramáticos conceituais, e mapas temáticos, que permitiram entender a organização estrutural e funcional da paisagem, e fundamentar uma ordenação espacial dos usos desta área, de modo a adequá-los às suas especificidades ambientais, histórico-culturais, sócio-econômicas e legais. / The integrity and the environmental equilibrium of coastal zones are increasingly becoming a concern to environmental scientists. Coastal environments are one of the most threatened in the world. Besides, they represent, to the human societies, a link of connection and intense exchange of merchandise amongst each other, with disordered and, at many times, predatory exploration, becoming, already at the industrial age, a main site of leisure, tourism and habitation of large masses of urban population. The vocation of a determined landscape is related to the functions and roles it plays. What actually occurs is that the development pattern adopted and the actual socio-economics determine the uses, which not always coincide with its best utilization. In order to assist future plans of rational use and occupation of natural areas adjacent to Cassino's Bathing Resort (Rio Grande, RS), in agreement with the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, a social-environmental diagnosis of the study site was developed using the systemic approach. The main environmental and urban processes and components were considered. They were defined based on aerophotos interpretation, quail-quantitative field survey and bibliographic information. The results, presented in the form of tables, photographic surveys, conceptual diagrammatic models and thematic maps, allowed to understand the structural and functional organization of the landscape and to establish a spatial ordering of land use to adequate them to their environmental, historic-social, socioeconomics and legal specificities.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:03:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JucaraRMpdf1-61.pdf: 2157479 bytes, checksum: 530d9910b960362ab6b98d5b3433665f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-19 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / The Pirangi beach is located in the eastern coastline of Rio Grande do Norte state, in the municipality of Parnamirim and N?sia Floresta. In it flow into Pirangi Watershed (PW), whose water receives large amounts of pollutants, mainly domestic and industrial sewage from districts where pass the rivers that consist it, compromising, thus, the bathing water quality of the Pirangi beach. Bearing in mind the importance of water sanitary quality to ensure an environment that no present risk to the bathers s health, this work had as main objective to assess the influence of the PW s waters in the bathing water quality of the Pirangi beaches. To that end, were made collections of water in the beaches and in the rivers with the intention of quantify the fecal contamination indicators thermotolerant coliforms and enterococci, to then classify the conditions of bathing water quality according with the CONAMA Resolution number 274 of 2000. For the purposes greater knowledge about the health conditions of the Beaches Pirangi and about the influence the PW s waters exert on it, was done parallely to the study of the water quality, an investigation of the sand sanitary quality. Furthermore, it was made an evaluation of the PW s Water Quality through Water Quality Index (WQI). Starting from the results obtained in the research present was possible to verify, among other aspects, that the entry of the PW s waters in the Pirangi beaches exerts direct influence in the bathing water quality of the same ones, being the North Pirangi beach (point tracking PA-02) the most influenced. There was noticed also a significant reduction in the conditions of bathing water quality of the beaches in the rainy season. However, the precariousness do sewerage system of the Natal metropolitan region and the absence of a right system of treatment an final disposal of domestic sewage and industrial are the main factors responsi le for deterioration of the PW s Water Quality, and as a consequence, compromising the bathing water quality of the Pirangi beaches / A praia de Pirangi est? localizada no litoral oriental do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte, nos munic?pios de Parnamirim e N?sia Floresta. Nela des?gua a Bacia Hidrogr?fica Pirangi (BHP), cuja ?gua recebe grande quantidade de poluentes, principalmente esgotos dom?sticos e industriais dos munic?pios por onde passam os rios que a comp?em, comprometendo, dessa forma, a balneabilidade desta praia. Tendo em vista a import?ncia da qualidade sanit?ria da ?gua para se garantir um ambiente que n?o apresente riscos ? sa?de dos banhistas, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo principal avaliar a influ?ncia das ?guas da BHP na balneabilidade das praias de Pirangi. Para tanto, foram realizadas coletas de ?gua nas praias e nos rios com o intuito de quantificar os indicadores de contamina??o fecal Enterococos e Coliformes termotolerantes, para ent?o classificar as condi??es de balneabilidade de acordo com a resolu??o CONAMA n? 274 de 2000. Para efeito de maior embasamento sobre as condi??es sanit?rias das Praias de Pirangi e sobre a influ?ncia que as ?guas da BPH exercem sobre elas, foi realizada, paralelamente ao estudo da qualidade das ?guas, uma investiga??o da qualidade sanit?ria das areias. Al?m disso, foi feita uma avalia??o da qualidade da ?gua da BHP atrav?s do ?ndice de Qualidade da ?gua (IQA). A partir dos resultados obtidos na presente pesquisa foi poss?vel constatar, dentre outros aspectos, que a entrada das ?guas da BHP nas praias de Pirangi exerce influ?ncia direta na balneabilidade das mesmas, sendo a praia de Pirangi do Norte (ponto de monitoramento PA-02) a mais influenciada. Observou-se, tamb?m, redu??o significativa nas condi??es de balneabilidade das praias na esta??o chuvosa. Contudo, a precariedade do esgotamento sanit?rio da regi?o metropolitana de Natal e a aus?ncia de um sistema adequado de tratamento e disposi??o final dos esgotos dom sticos e industriais s?o os principais fatores respons?veis pela degrada??o da qualidade da ?gua da BHP, e como conseq??ncia, pelo comprometimento da balneabilidade das praias de Pirangi

The aim of this paper is to explain and compare non-compliance of two EU-directives, “the quality of bathing water” and “the working time directive”. This study answers the questions: Why didn’t Sweden implement the directive on bathing water quality and the working time directive correctly? Are the reasons for non-compliance the same or different in the two cases? The paper is designed as a case study and with an explanatory attempt we explain why the two directives weren’t implemented correctly in Sweden. The theoretical approach is based on both general- and EU-specific implementation theories. The reason why the directive on quality of bathing water wasn’t implemented correctly was firstly because of the differences between the Swedish political contents and the EU-directive’s, secondly the vague formulation that caused problems with understanding how to implement the directive. Third and lastly the implementation suffered from the lack of administrative resources. The working time directive had problems with the political contents and the resistance from the trade union and government, which caused delays with the implementation of the directive. By studying these two cases this paper concludes that there is only one point of similarity between the cases, i.e. the political contents.

Par tradition, les habitants de La Teste se baignaient depuis bien longtemps sur la plage d’Arcachon, où, dès le début du XIXe siècle, une cabane de résinier fut louée à des « estrangers » ayant osé s’aventurer sur ces rives inconnues. Il fallut attendre les années 1820 pour que les premiers hébergements liés aux bains de mer soient mis en place. Leurs constructions répondaient aux codes néo-classiques, conformes aux pratiques architecturales de l’époque. Les premiers « chalets », influencés par ce style, surent, néanmoins apporter quelques particularités. Mais ce ne fut qu’avec l’invention de la Ville d’Hiver, quartier de cure édifié à partir de 1863, pour accueillir des malades atteints de tuberculose, que la variété architecturale fut consacrée. Chalets suisses, castelets, formes éclectiques, prirent place au milieu des pins, dans les dunes, offrant à la récente commune d’Arcachon (1857), une nouvelle dimension médicale, et un élan architectural au goût du jour. Le style pittoresque obtint, là, un succès à la mesure de celui qu’il eut sur toutes les plages de l’Atlantique et de la Manche, envahissant progressivement toute la ville. Jusqu’à l’apparition des formes régionales – néo-landaise, néo-basque-, à partir de 1920, il fut le style employé dans toutes les réalisations des nouveaux quartiers, de la ville d’automne ou de printemps, et du Moulleau, démontrant ainsi sa parfaite adaptation au milieu. / Traditionally, the inhabitants of La Teste used to bathe on the beach of Arcachon. As early as the beginning of the 19th century, a wooden hut was rented out to foreigners who dared to visit this unknown shore of the bay. The first accommodations in relation with sea bathing appeared not before the 1820 s’. These buildings reflected the neoclassical features, according to the architectural standards of the time. Most of the first 'chalets' were built in the same style, some of them showing some additional details. An architectural diversity was really settled in 1863 with the creation of the Winter Town, a medical district designed to cure tuberculosis. 'Swiss chalets', cottages and other eclectic constructions erected among the pines on the sand dunes gave to the recent town of Arcachon (1857) a new medical dimension and a modern architectural development. As anywhere else along the western shores of France, the picturesque style was so successful as to invade every part of the town. Till local styles - néo-landais, néo-basque- appeared in the1920 s, it was the only one used in the buildings of the new districts in the autumn and spring towns, as well as in Moulleau. Which can mean it was the best answer at this time, in terms of seaside architecture.

The diploma work deals with the paintings of Antonín Hudeček from around 1900, which are viewed from two positions. The first thematic area includes the analysis of selected thought sources (the topic of a soul or a mood in the art), the motives (mirroring) and the themes (bathing boys) of Hudeček's paintings, which are treated with regard to the period art criticism a thought currents. The second part is made by analysis of some art sources which were essential for Antonín Hudeček's paintings around 1900. These were especially Hudeček's training with figuralists in Prague and Munich and the possible foreign inspiration, most importantly from the context of the contemporary art colonies and informal art groups. Fundamental theme of the work is the relationship of figure and landscape in the work of Antonín Hudeček around 1900. The catalogue of Hudeček's paintings from this period and excerpts from selected periodicals serve as the main methodological tool for comparison of Hudeček's work with other artists. Hudeček's schematic biography is also presented in the appendix of the work.

Objective: National and supranational directives (EU-bathing water directiv, WHO directives) exist to examine the bathing-water quality with concern to public health criteria. E.coli, Intestinal enterococci and Enteroviruses serve as indicators for the contamination of a water with pathogenic bacteria and viruses. As an valuable indicators for the viral contamination bacteriophages are discussed. The aim of this work is the evaluation of somatic and F+ RNA coliphages as indicators of a contamination with enteric viruses considering a lignite mining lake as example. Approach: In weekly intervals, the concentration of bacterial and viral indicators, as well as the presence or absence of enteric viruses in the mining lake "Werbeliner See" (central German lignite mining area), in the flooding water and in the sewage plant Leipzig-Rosental, which significantly influences the flooding water, was examined. The paramters E.coli, Intestinal enterococci and spores of Clostridium perfringens serve as indicators for the hygienic state. As possible indicators of a viral contamination, somatic and F+ RNA coliphages were examined. Several hygienic relevant enteric viruses (Entero-, Noro-, Astro-, Adeno-, Rota- and Hepatitis A-viruses) were detected by means of adequate molecular biological methods and enumerated. Results: 1. The sewage plant Leipzig-Rosental eliminated fecal bacteria and bacteriophages very efficiently (about two logs), however the reduction of E.coli and enterococci was significant higher then the reduction of Cl.perfringens-spores and bacteriophages. The purification capacity benefits from the application of chemical precipitants (Fe (III) cloride / sulfate). 2. The reduction of genomes of Noro-, Astro- and Enteroviruses by the sewage plant was in the range of one to two logs. 3. All examined viruses could be detected in the inflow and the outflow of the sewage plant during the time of examination. 4. The concentration of fecal bacteria in the lake Werbeliner See was very low. The requirements by the EU-bathing water directive (76/160/EWG) with 2000 . (100 ml)-1 (E.coli, imperial value) and 100 . (100 ml)-1 (enterococci, guide value), respectively, were under-run clearly, also concerning the individual sampling days. 81 % and 92 % of the samples of the lake Werbeliner See (except the inflow site) were below the detection limit of 0,1 PFU . ml-1 for somatic and F+ RNA coliphages, respectively. 5. In contrast, DNA and RNA of all examined virus could be found in the lake. Quantitative PCR reveald a virus load between 0 und 105 Gen.equiv. . l-1 for Entero-, Noro- and Astroviruses. 6. The detection of infectious Enteroviruses on BGM cell lines yielded one positve sample (=1,2%). Since the concentration of Enterovirus genomes in the quantitative PCR was three to four log-steps lower then this of the Noro- and Astroviruses, one could specualte, that the concentration of infectious Noro- and Astroviruses in the lake was quite high. 7. The low rate of positive infectious Enteroviruses in the lake reflects the low concentration of bacteriophages. But the direct comparison of the concentration of bacteriophages with the concentration of infectious Enteroviruses in the flooding water casts doubt on the indicatior value of bacteriophages regarding Enteroviruses. In conclusion, this finding suggests that an exclusive indication of bacteriophages concerning a contamination with Enteroviruses is not possible. 8. The use of bacteriophages as indicators of a wider range of enteric viruses could attenuate this discrepancy by the epidemiological more frequent appearance of enteric viruses as a sum. 9. In this context bacteriophages could, due to their comparatively high resistence, have a key function in the assesment of the hygienic quality of a water sample. / Problemstellung: Um die hygienische Qualität von Badegewässern zu beurteilen existieren nationale und übernationale Richtlinien (EU-Badegewässerrichtlinie, WHO-Richtlinien). E.coli, Intestinale Enterokokken und Enteroviren dienen dabei als Indikatoren für die Belastung des Gewässers mit humanpathogenen Keimen bzw. Viren. Als Indikatoren für die virale Belastung sind in diesem Zusammenhang unter anderem Bakteriophagen im Gespräch. Gegenstand dieser Arbeit sind die Evaluierung von Somatischen und F+ RNA Coliphagen als Indikatoren für die Kontamination mit enteralen Viren am Beispiel eines Tagebausee sowie die Dokumentation der hygienischen Wasserqualität des Tagebausees unter Berücksichtigung des Flutungswassers. Vorgehensweise: In wöchentlichen Routineuntersuchungen wurden die Konzentrationen bakterieller und viraler Indikatoren, sowie die An- oder Abwesenheit enteraler Viren im Tagebausee "Werbeliner See" untersucht. Verschiedene, hygienische relevante enterale Viren (Entero-, Noro-, Astro-, Adeno-, Rotaviren, sowie Hepatitis A-Viren) wurden mittels geeigneter molekularbiologischer und zellkultureller Methoden detektiert und quantifiziert. Ergebnisse: 1. Die Kläranlage Leipzig-Rosental eliminierte sehr effizient (ca. zwei Größenordnungen) fäkale Bakterien und Bakteriophagen, wobei die Reduktion von E.coli und Enterokokken signifikant höher war als die von Cl.perfringens-Sporen und Bakteriophagen. Die Reinigungsleistung wird durch den Einsatz von chemischen Fällmitteln (Eisen-(III)-Chlorid / -Sulfat-Salze) begünstigt. 2. Noro-, Astro- und Enteroviren, für die quantitative Untersuchungen durchgeführt worden, konnten durch die Kläranlage um ein bis zwei Größenordnungen reduziert werden. 3. Alle untersuchten Viren konnten in Zu- und Ablauf der Kläranlage molekularbiologisch nachgewiesen werden. 4. Die Konzentration fäkaler Bakterien im Werbeliner See war sehr gering. Die Vorgaben der EU-Badegewässerrichtlinie (76/160/EWG) von 2000 . (100 ml)-1 (E.coli, Grenzwert) bzw. 100 . (100 ml)-1 (Enterokokken, Leitwert) wurden dabei, auch bezogen auf die einzelnen Probenahmetage, deutlich unterschritten. 81 % bzw. 92 % der Seeproben (außer Einleitungsstelle) lagen unterhalb der Nachweisgrenze von 0,1 PFU . ml-1 für Somatische- bzw. F+ RNA Coliphagen. 5. Im Kontrast dazu konnte DNA bzw. RNA aller untersuchten Viren im See gefunden werden. Die genomische Viruslast der mittels real-time-PCR detektierten Entero-, Noro- und Astroviren lag zwischen 0 und 105 Gen.äquiv. . l-1. 6. Der Nachweis infektiöser Enteroviren auf BGM-Zellen im Werbeliner See ergab ein einzelnes positives Ergebnis im Untersuchungszeitraum (= 1,2 %). Allerdings lag die Konzentration detektierter Enteroviren-Genome im Mittel drei bis vier Größenordnungen unter der Konzentration von Noro- und Astroviren. Es kann deshalb spekuliert werden, dass für diese Viren ebenfalls ein hoher Anteil infektiöser Proben zu erwarten gewesen wäre. 7. Die niedrige Nachweisrate infektiöser Enteroviren im Werbeliner See spiegelte sich in der sehr niedrigen Konzentration an Bakteriophagen wider. Allerdings lässt der direkte Vergleich der Bakteriophagenkonzentration mit dem Nachweis infektiöser Enteroviren im Flutungswasser Zweifel am Indikatorwert von Bakteriophagen für eine Kontamination mit Enteroviren aufkommen. Eine exklusive Indikation von Bakteriophagen bezüglich einer Kontamination mit Enteroviren scheint anhand dieser Befunde nicht möglich. 8. E.coli und Enterokokken wurden in Laborversuchen unter verschiedenen Versuchsbedingungen signifikant schneller inaktiviert als Somatische Coliphagen und Noroviren. Gleiches galt im Vergleich zu Cl. perfringens-Sporen, Astroviren und F+ RNA Coliphagen. 9. Bakteriophagen könnten deshalb auf Grund ihrer vergleichsweise hohen Resistenz eine wichtige Schlüsselfunktion für die Beurteilung der hygienischen Qualität einer Wasserprobe spielen.

Fostering human-nature connection (HNC) relates to the inner worlds of humans as a realm of influence for sustainability and is considered a deep leverage point for system transformation. Both direct nature experiences and states of mindfulness are significant for influencing the development of HNC. Therefore, in this thesis, I explore the potential of guided forest bathing – an originally Japanese practice of mindfully immersing one’s senses in the atmosphere of a forest – as an intervention for HNC. I do so by applying a mixed-methods approach and a relational, multidimensional assessment of the qualities and effects of a guided forest bathing session, as conducted in the methodology of the Scandinavian Nature and Forest Therapy Institute. While not able to establish causality, the study results suggest that participation in just one guided forest bathing session may positively influence the development of HNC, primarily in participants new to the experience. The results also suggest that several qualities of guided forest bating are important for influencing HNC, including mindfulness, engagement of senses, and self-restoration. These qualities and others related to the specific structure and social setting of the experience can provoke thoughts that meaningfully shift how individuals perceive and interact with nature. This leads the thesis to conclude that guided forest bathing represents a novel nature experience with promising potential as an intervention for HNC.