Bird Watching to Reduce Stress in University Students

EVALUATION OF BIRD WATCHING IN REDUCING STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The goal of this study is to learn if birdwatching can reduce stress in university students. It will also explore students; experiences with the intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does birdwatching reduce students perceived stress levels? What are the experiences of students who participate in the birdwatching intervention? Why do some students drop out of the study? Researchers will compare a group of students who participate in birdwatching outings to a control group that does not receive the intervention to determine if birdwatching is effective in reducing stress.

Participants will:

Either participate in birdwatching outings or be in a control group with no intervention Complete a perceived stress scale (PSS-10) to measure their stress levels Take part in semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences with the intervention or their reasons for dropping out of the study

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stress, Psychologic
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Birdwatching Intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 102
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Colombia
  • Santander Department
    • Bucaramanga, Santander Department, Colombia, 680002
      • Universidad Industrial de Santander
    • Bucaramanga, Santander Department, Colombia
      • Universidad Industrial de Santander

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• University students who meet the following inclusion criteria will be included in the study: being 18 years of age or older, being enrolled in any undergraduate program at the Universidad Industrial de Santander, having a score of 10 or higher on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and having access to WhatsApp.

Exclusion Criteria:

• University students with a medical diagnosis of any mental illness under pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatment, with health conditions that prevent them from seeing, hearing, or moving, as well as students who have engaged in birdwatching in the last six months, will not be included.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Birdwatching Intervention Arm; The intervention arm will involve participants, divided into four subgroups, taking part in field trips for visual and auditory birdwatching. These trips will take place every 15 days over three sessions, guided by an expert in the subject. Students will be provided with binoculars and guidance on the use of apps to identify observed birds. Additionally, WhatsApp groups will be created for each subgroup, where videos and audios of birds will be shared, along with weekly challenges to reinforce exposure to the intervention. The outings will take place in natural environments such as coffee farms and forests near Bucaramanga.	Other: Birdwatching Intervention; Description: Participants will attend three birdwatching sessions, where they will enjoy direct contact with nature in selected environments such as forests and farms. These outings will be guided by an expert, who will also introduce participants to the use of binoculars and tools for identifying the birds observed during the excursions. During the outings, participants will learn the body scan technique, which will help them focus on physical sensations without making judgments. This exercise will encourage them to pay attention to details such as muscle tension, temperature, or surface contact, allowing them to be more present and connected to their surroundings during the birdwatching sessions. In addition to the in-person outings, participants will receive digital materials via WhatsApp to complement the intervention.Birdwatching Intervention
No Intervention: Control Arm; The control group will not receive any intervention related to birdwatching. Participants in this group will continue with their usual activities without taking part in the field trips or complementary activities such as watching videos or listening to bird sounds.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The Perceived Stress Scale	Perceived Stress Scale: (PSS-10). This instrument measures the level of perceived stress during the last month. It consists of 10 questions with a five-option Likert-type response format. The score ranges from 0 to 40. A higher score indicates a higher level of perceived stress.	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group.
Adherence to the intervention	To determine adherence to the intervention, the proportion of students who successfully completed the number of sessions and challenges outlined in the intervention protocol will be calculated, as well as the number of university students who dropped out of the intervention	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)	The PHQ-9 is a self-report outcome questionnaire used to screen for depressive symptoms. It consists of 9 items. Responses are scored on a scale from 0 to 3, with total scores ranging from 0 to 27. Higher scores indicate more severe depression.	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7)	The GAD-7 is used to measure anxiety symptoms. It consists of 7 items, each rated on a scale from 0 to 3, with total scores ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms.	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)	It consists of 19 self-administered questions, rated on a scale from 0 to 3, generating an overall score from 0 to 21. Higher overall scores represent worse subjective sleep quality.	From enrollment to the three follow-up evaluations at 6, 9, and 17 weeks after assignment to the intervention or control group

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Experiance	Semi-structured interviews with study participants.	From inclusion in the study until the last follow up at 17 weeks
Feasibility - Enrollment	Enrollment rates calculated as percentage of enrolled vs interested participants	From the first day of study recruitment until the date of the last participant to complete the intervention, assessed up to 17 weeks
Participant Attrition Rate	Percentage of enrolled participants who withdraw or are lost to follow-up before completion of study procedures. Unit of Measure: Percentage.	Up to 17 weeks after study start
Overall compliance	Number of participants that completed all questionnaires at baseline, 6 weeks, 9 weeks and 17 weeks	From day of recruitment of the first participant to day of the last follow-up meeting of the last participant, assessed up to 17 weeks.
Feasibility- implementation of the intervention	The Feasibility of Intervention measure gauges how practical and possible it is to implement an intervention within a given setting. Semi-structured interviews with the interveners.	From inclusion in the study until the last follow up at 17 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidad Industrial de Santander
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: LEIDY J RUEDA DÍAZ, PhD, Universidad Industrial de Santander

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 10, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 23, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 23, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): September 26, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Stress, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: 4217

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: All IPD that underlie results in a publication

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No