The Impact of Green Spaces on the General Well-being and Stress of Students

The Impact of Green Spaces on the General Well-being and Stress of Students: an Intervention Study

The number of students with psychological problems is on the rise, due to a combination of increasing performance pressure, high expectations, difficulties handling stress, social pressure, and studying. Spending time in a green space has been shown to have positive effects on the mental and general health. This project aims to alleviate the symptoms of mental fatigue and stress related disorders such as burn out in students by offering a nature-based activity.

Participants are asked to take a thirty-minute walk in a nature-based area for five consecutive days, followed by a control period (regular schedule of the participant) for five days, or vice versa. The investigators test stress-related parameters including concentration tests, cognitive tests, cortisol levels, and cardiovascular measurements.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Stress; Psychological; Cardiovascular; Neurocognition
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Nature based solution for stress reduction

Detailed Description

This project aims study the effectiveness of nature-based solutions on the prevention of stress-related symptoms due to high study pressure in students. A nature-based physical activity is recommended once a day to prevent stress build-up and positively influence the cardiovascular system. Participants are randomized into two groups: the first group of participants are asked to walk a nature-based route near the University campus for thirty minutes per day for two weeks (phase 1). After each activity-based phase, a washout period of one week is implemented to avoid carry-over of results (phase 2 and 4). In the third phase, the participants are asked to resume their daily activities for two weeks (control). The second group undergo the same phases but reversed: participants start with two weeks of their usual daily activities, followed by two weeks of nature-based activity. After each phase, the investigators measure neurocognition through neurocognitive tests, the emotional status through detailed questionnaires and assess stress levels through cardiovascular measurements, including salivary cortisol levels of saliva collected upon awakening, 30 min after waking and at 8 pm.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Michelle Plusquin; Phone Number: +3211268289; Email: michelle.plusquin@uhasselt.be
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Tim Nawrot; Phone Number: +3211268382; Email: tim.nawrot@uhasselt.be

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Limburg
    • Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium, 3590
      • Recruiting
      • Hasselt University
      • Contact: Kenneth Vanbrabant; Phone Number: +32493714758; Email: Kenneth.vanbrabant@uhasselt.be
      • Contact: Rossella Alfano; Phone Number: +3211268529; Email: rossella.alfano@uhasselt.be

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Student of Hasselt university or university college PXL and dutch speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group 1: intervention/control group; Phase 1: Two weeks of green space intervention Phase 2: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Phase 3: Two weeks of 'daily activities' Regular, daily activities are resumed by the participants Phase 4: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Between each phase, detailed questionnaires, neurocognitive tests and cardiovascular measurements are taken from the participants.	Other: Nature based solution for stress reduction; participation in nature activities: daily 30 min walking in nature
Experimental: Group 2: control/intervention group; Phase 1: Two weeks of 'daily activities' Regular, daily activities are resumed by the participants Phase 2: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Phase 3: Two weeks of green space intervention Phase 4: One week wash out period Resume daily activities Between each phase, detailed questionnaires, neurocognitive tests and cardiovascular measurements are taken from the participants.	Other: Nature based solution for stress reduction; participation in nature activities: daily 30 min walking in nature

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
General health	An questionnaire is used to collect sociodemographic data and life-style factors, including movement data and health of the participant	5 minutes
Stress levels	Assessed via questionnaires (the burn out assessment tool (score 1-5) and general health questionnaire (score 0-12) and Five Item Well Being Index (score 0-100). Scores are used as continuous variables. Lower scores represent a lower risk of burn out, higher scores represent a higher risk of burnout. The score is constructed from questions concerning exhaustion, mental distance, emotional disorder(s), and cognitive disorder(s).	10 minutes
cortisol level (stress levels)	Assessed by salivary cortisol levels. Scale is µg/dl and used as a continuous variable.	5 minutes
visual memory	Computerized tests (eye-tracking test). The scale is pupil size, spontaneous blinking rate and eye movements and is used as a continuous variable.	5 minutes
selective attention	Computerized tests (stroop test). The scale is mean reaction time and is used as a continuous variable.	5 minutes
short-term memory	Computerized tests (Digit Span Test). The scale is number of digits and is used as a continuous variable.	10minutes
visual information processing speed	Computerized tests (Digit Symbol Test). The scale is number of digits and is used as a continuous variable.	5 minutes
visual information processing speed	Computerized tests (Pattern Comparison test). The scale is reaction time and is used as a continuous variable.	5 minutes
Heart rate variability	The heart rate is monitored throughout the entire baseline and follow-up visit through a small patch attached to the participant's skin. The results is used as a continuous variable in milliseconds (ms).	30 minutes
Blood pressure	Blood pressure is measured through an automated system. The results is used as a continuous variable in mmHg.	5 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hasselt University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Michelle Plusquin, Hasselt University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 10, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 30, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 2, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 18, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): February 21, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 21, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 18, 2022
• Last Verified: February 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Green space
• Other Study ID Numbers: Nature_Stress

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: Data is pseudonymized. Data will then only be shared with the predoctoral researchers involved in this project, within our research group.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No