Researchers’ interest in finding practical applications for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies has increased as new devices have become cheaper and more accessible, being used in entertainment, healthcare, and rehabilitation fields, among others. This study aims to provide an overview of the current state of scientific literature related to VR, AR, and physical activity (PA). A bibliometric analysis of studies published between 1994 and 2022 was conducted using The Web of Science (WoS), applying the traditional bibliometric laws and using the VOSviewer software for data and metadata processing. The results revealed an exponential increase in scientific production between 2009 and 2021 (R² = 94%). The United States (USA) was the country/region with the most relevant co-authorship networks (72 papers); the most prolific author was Kerstin Witte, and the most prominent was Richard Kulpa. The most productive journal’s core was composed of high-impact and open access journals. A great thematic diversity was found according to the most used keywords by the co-authors, highlighting concepts such as rehabilitation, cognition, training, and obesity. Then, the research related to this topic is in an exponential development phase, with great interest in the rehabilitation and sports sciences fields.

Unrestrained urbanisation and natural space loss are reducing contact with nature in today’s society, producing negative consequences for people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing. Nature-based therapies, such as physical activity in natural settings, forest bathing, therapeutic hiking, or experiential learning, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms and improve the quality of life in both general and specific populations. A bibliometric analysis of research on nature-based therapies was performed by applying the traditional laws of bibliometrics (exponential growth law, Bradford’s concentration law, Lotka’s law, Zipf’s law, etc.) to documents published in journals indexed in the Core Collection of the Web of Science (WoS). Graphical visualisation was performed using the VOSviewer software. Annual publications between 2006 and 2021 presented an exponential growth trend (R² = 91%). The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (MDPI) and Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (Elsevier) were the most productive and cited journals. Ikei, Miyazaki, and Song are the most cited prolific authors. The USA and South Korea were the countries with the highest scientific production. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in adventure, nature, and forest therapies among researchers. Nature-based therapies have experienced a growing interest in recent years. Positive effects on mental, physical, and emotional health have been found in different populations and research lines, although more studies with different designs and populations are needed.

Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental diseases both in formal and nonformal caregivers. Physical activity during leisure time seems to have benefits on their practitioner’s mental health. This study aimed to analyze the associations between physical activity frequency (PAF) and depression and anxiety status, as well as antidepressant and anxiolytic use in Spanish nonformal caregivers. A cross-sectional study with data from the 2014 and 2020 European Health Interview Surveys in Spain (EHSS) including 4520 Spanish nonformal caregivers was carried out. The PAF was found to be related to depression and anxiety, as well as antidepressants and anxiolytics use (p < 0.001), with the highest proportions of these variables found in the inactive population (p < 0.05), while the active and very active populations showed the lowest proportions (p < 0.05). Weak but statistically significant correlations were found between all variables of interest (p < 0.001). Being female, older, and dedicating more hours per week to caregiving and caring for nonfamily members were found to have increased risks of depression, anxiety and antidepressants or anxiolytics use. Nonformal caregivers who were not physically active during their leisure time had higher mental disorders and psychotropic drug use proportions than the active and very active caregivers. Thus, increasing nonformal caregivers’ PAF could be a protective tool.

In recent years, the number of practitioners of disciplines such as parkour, break dance or calisthenics (freestyle or street workout) has increased. These disciplines share common characteristics, such as an unregulated street origin and a focus on acrobatics. This study aimed to analyze the state of scientific publications related to these acrobatic street sports. A bibliometric analysis was conducted, applying traditional bibliometric laws to scientific documentation found in journals indexed in WoS and Scopus. Data processing and visualization were performed using Bibliometrix and Excel. A total of 199 articles published between 1984 and 2024 were identified, indicating exponential growth. Among these, 139 papers were related to parkour, 48 to breakdance, and 12 to street workout. A review of 158 journals revealed that they contained related publications, although their distribution did not conform to Bradford’s model, showig only two areas. Among 417 authors identified, 22 were deemed prolific and 12 prominent. France emerged as the most prolific country, followed by the USA. The 553 author keywords were categorized into three groups, each associated with one of the sports. The 26 most cited papers were selected as relevant, demonstrating a correlation between the increase in publications and the popularization of these sports, largely due to television exposure. The "International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics” emerged as the most prolific journal. The most relevant authors identified in each sport were Signey Grosprêtre (parkour); Max Daniel Kauther and Christian Wedemeyer (breakdance); and Javier Sanchez-Martinez (street workout).