A Thematic Review of Hiking Activities and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Hiking trend nowadays is on the rise. With an increasing awareness of the benefits of outdoor activities for physical and mental health, more people are turning to hiking to stay active, reduce stress, and connect with nature. However, there has been a dearth of research into the interplay between hiking and rehabilitation. Articles published in English between 1968 and 2021 that studied the impact of hiking and rehabilitation were searched using the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. This review used ATLAS.ti 23 to synthesise data from 14 scholarly articles about the effects of hiking and rehabilitation. The reviewers found 85 unique codes to describe these effects and grouped into 10 code groups and four themes: health, job, sport, and other related outcomes. The findings revealed patterns and trends on the effects of hiking activities on rehabilitation. This research contributes to future studies by analysing patterns and trends that may encourage and drive future studies in hiking activities and rehabilitation.