Effects of Urban Nature on Stress and Quality of Life

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Stress, Psychological

Treatments: Behavioral: Nature therapy in urban nature; Behavioral: City Walk

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04780646

Stadtnatur

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of regular nature therapy in urban nature with guidance of a licensed nature therapist on stress, quality of life and physical symptoms of subjects with elevated stress levels.

Enrollment: 93 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• stress with at least 4 of 10 points on the Numeric Analogue Scale (NAS) at least 1 month
• at least 3 of the following 8 stress-associated symptoms: sleep disturbances, inappetence or increased appetite, shoulder neck tension/back pain, tension headache, concentration disturbances, exhaustion, nervousness/irritability, stress-associated digestive complaints.

Exclusion criteria

• serious acute or chronic diseases
• pregnancy or lactation
• known serious mental illness
• immobility or restriction for gymnastics exercises due to orthopaedic, neurological or other medical cause
• participation in another study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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93 participants in 3 patient groups

Nature therapy in urban nature

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects receive a 90-minute nature therapy session once per week for 8 weeks with a licensed nature therapist, who explains exercises on perceiving nature and the connection between nature and health.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Nature therapy in urban nature

City Walk

Active Comparator group

Description:

Subjects receive a 90-minute city walk through urban sourroundings once per week for 8 weeks with a city guide, who talks about city architecture and gives information about the history of the surroundings.

Treatment:

Behavioral: City Walk

Waiting List

No Intervention group

Description:

Subjects don't receive any therapy.