Biological and Behavioral Outcomes of Community Nature Walks

Examining Anti-Racist Healing in Nature to Protect Telomeres of Transitional Age BIPOC for Health Equity

The investigators will test the efficacy of our proposed intervention to reduce embodied stress in four racial/ethnic groups (Black, Latinx, Pilipinx, and Pacific Islander) as a preventative intervention for health disparities found in these communities. The intervention is comprised of two phases. The first consists of community nature walks in a pristine redwood forest for six months. This is followed by chosen nature activities with family and/or friends for three months. The investigators will test the ability of these activities in nature to reduce chronic stress that underpins many health disparities using validated biological, behavioral, and sociocultural measures. The use of these measures is in alignment with the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework, and will increase understanding of individual, interpersonal, community, and social level factors that lead to, and that can eliminate health disparities.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Stress, Psychological; Stress Reaction; Telomere Shortening
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Reclaiming Nature Intervention

Detailed Description

The investigators will test the efficacy of our proposed intervention to reduce embodied stress in four racial/ethnic groups (Black, Latinx, Pilipinx, and Pacific Islander) as a preventative intervention for health disparities found in these communities. The intervention is comprised of two phases. The first consists of community nature walks in a pristine redwood forest for six months. This is followed by chosen nature activities with family and/or friends for three months. The investigators will test the ability of these activities in nature to reduce chronic stress that underpins many health disparities using validated biological, behavioral, and sociocultural measures. The use of these measures is in alignment with the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework, and will increase understanding of individual, interpersonal, community, and social level factors that lead to, and that can eliminate health disparities.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 200
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Charlotte Tate, Ph.D.; Phone Number: (415) 338-2267; Email: ctate2@sfsu.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Leticia Marquez-Magana, Ph.D.; Email: marquez@sfsu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • San Francisco, California, United States, 94132
      • Recruiting
      • San Francisco State University
      • Contact: Leticia Marquez-Magana, Ph.D.; Email: marquez@sfsu.edu
      • Contact: Charlotte Tate, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 415-338-2267; Email: ctate2@sfsu.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion critieria:

• 18 years or older
• able to commit to a 9-month Nature Intervention (6-month walks; 3-month chosen nature activity)
• spoken languages: English, Spanish, or Tagalog
• able-bodied as in must be able to walk.

Exclusion criteria:

• pregnant women (and other gender identities who are pregnant)
• prisoners
• cognitively impaired

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Waitlist Control; Waitlist control; all participants receive the treatment but are in a control condition prior to the treatment	Behavioral: Reclaiming Nature Intervention; The purpose of the community intervention is to prevent health disparities in Black, Latinx, Pilipinx, and Pacific Islander communities of San Francisco, California.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Relative Telomere Length	Relative Telomere Length in the name of the outcome measure.	Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hair cortisol concentration	Hair cortisol concentration in the name of the outcome measure.	Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
Self-reported stress (extent of)	Cohen Stress Scale (Likert-type self-reported measurement) in the name of the outcome measure.	Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
Positive mood (extent of)	Positive And Negative Affect Scale International version (PANAS-I) (Likert-type self-reported measurement)	Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Steps (number of)	total number of steps per day, assessed by Apple's Health Application on phones in the name of the outcome measure.	Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
Heart rate (average of beats per minute over days)	average beats per minute over days assessed by rate hear application on phones	Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
Sleep quality (extent of)	14-item Sleep Questionnaire (Likert-type self-reported measurement)	Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Charlotte Tate
• Collaborators: University of California, San Francisco

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 14, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 20, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): September 28, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 28, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 20, 2023
• Last Verified: September 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Fractures, Bone; Wounds and Injuries; Stress, Psychological; Fractures, Stress
• Other Study ID Numbers: X21-013

Drug and device information, study documents

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