The purpose of this research is to develop walking model to use forest road for healing. With the improvement of the living condition compared to the past, people''s interest on their health has grown as well. The mountaineering population especially with the purpose of health promotion, thus, has continuously increased, reaching up to 53% of total population aging from 18 to 69. This mountaineering, which serves the purpose of health promotion actually damages health in some ways. The biggest reason is that significant amount of this population pursues peak climbing without considering their health conditions. Recently, horizontal walking is gathering much attention in place of peak climbing which is vertical walking. Horizontal walking road has much utilization as an effective exercise area for middle aged, elders, and ones who are in beginning stage of exercising. However, researches on horizontal walking conducted in the perspective of forest healing are minuscule.
This research targets forest roads located in the downtown suburb among horizontal walking roads. There are numerous forest roads set up as forest management infrastructure, and its number is rising continuously. The use of the forest road is expected to resolve the problem of damaging trails and summit by diffusing the mountaineers concentrating to famous mountains, and even change people''s negative attitude toward forest roads.
The most approachable exercise in forest road is walking. Walking is the most basic activity of human and is widely used as an exercise for health promotion. From the past, there have been abundant researches conducted, proving the positive efficacy of walking. These days, there are more discoveries being made about effectiveness of walking for health promotion such as prevention of heart diseases, diabetes, and stroke, effective weight loss, sustaining and improving physical strength, strengthening cardio pulmonary function, vitalizing brain function, improving immunity, lowering blood pressure, improving bone density, depression settlement, etc. In this research, adequate walking speed of middle aged and elderly in the forest road for effective health promotion has been confirmed.
The selected subjects of this research are 18 men and women in the sixties and seventies (68.5±4.4years old) who are physically healthy and have no problem walking. Based on the height and weight of the subjects, obese and underweight subjects according to The Korean Society for the Study of Obesity have been excluded for general application of the result. The research took place at a part of forest road in Seongbuk-dong Forest Aromatic Bath Ground in Daejeon, making a round trip of 1.5km distance consisting of gravel road and earth road which excluded the section that has been covered with concreted due to steep grade. The average grade of the whole section, according to precise measurement using GPS, was 2.3%, and the grade based on 100m section division, varied from the minimum of 0% to maximum of ±10.2% grade.
In order to identify the walking speed that does not overtax one''s own stamina, real-time heart rate monitor was conducted for all subjects. Also, after calculating the target heart rate according to subjects'' age, the walking was carried out with adequate exercise intensity which is suitable for weight control and cardiovascular endurance enhancement. The pulse meter used for monitoring the heart rate was Polar RS800CX(Polar, Finland). The setting of adequate exercise intensity was based on 60%∼80% of maximal heart rate suggested by Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea and ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). However, considering the age range of subjects being sixties and seventies, the target heart rate was lowered to 75% from 80%. According to the calculation of the target heart rate, the maximal heart rate was 151beats/min and target heart rate was average of 91beats/min∼113beats/min, based on the subjects'' average age of 69.2 years old. All subjects were clearly informed of the research and signed the agreement before the research was conducted. Their fitness assessment was conducted using YMCA Step-Test protocol, and the heart rate monitors worn by the subjects had the target heart rate set up according to their age.
YMCA Step-Test assessed 6 subjects having high level physical strength, 7 subjects having middle level physical strength, and 5 subjects having low level physical strength. In order to identify the differences among the three levels, statistical analysis T-test and one-way ANOVA was conducted, confirming that all three levels are different from each other.
As for the research in walking time, the average walking time for subjects with high level physical strength was 73 seconds, middle level-78 seconds, and low level-82 seconds for 100 meter distance. For average walking speed, high level-85 meter/min, middle level-78 meter/min, low level-75 meter/min were marked.
In regard to the correlation of walking speed and grade according to physical strength, all three levels were under negative linear relationship, confirming that they are statistically significant. Through T-test and one-way ANOVA analysis on the average walking speed per minute of three different levels, it was identified that the results varied among one another.
The suggested walking speed in this research was 85m/min for high level, 78m/min for middle level, and 75m/min for low level subjects. However, it is difficult for ordinary people to walk according to suggested speed. Thus, stride length of men and women in average height who are older than sixty years old was researched by the minute, and the average stride length turned out to be 75.4cm for men and 69.8cm for women. As a result of converting walking speed per minute into walking steps per minute, it calculated to 113 steps/min for men and 121 steps/min for women among high level subjects, 103 steps/min for men and 112 steps/min for women among middle level subjects, and 99 steps/min for men and 107 steps/min for women among low level subjects. For the subjects to walk accurately according to walking steps per minute, the use of metronome would be ideal. However, in order to increase the practicality and utilizability of the research findings, musics consisting of beat per minute which are similar to the walking steps per minute were provided, allowing them to walk according to the music beat.
This research is expected to receive attention for health promotion method of the people in the fifties and higher who prefer forest recreation activities. When the characteristics of the forest road, which is not very precipitous, are well used, more effective result in health promotion can be expected compared to walking in the city road. Along with that, other positive effects of forest can be expected such as stress relieving, physical and mental stability, etc. Based on this research, once anyone gets fitness assessment through Step-test and understand the general grade of the forest road, one can easily find out what his/her walking speed should be.
Through this research, I expect health promotion of the people in general and also practical and effective use of forest resources especially for middle aged and elderly people to exercise with adequate exercise intensity that does not overtax their own health.