Nature IDEAS Study: An RCT to Increase Time Spent in Nature Among University Students

Nature Dose Equity for Students

This project will first examine nature opportunities, belonging and benefits with a multi-state nature-based intervention with a focus on students of color. In light of the syndemic, 'nature deficit disorder' and poor mental health, the investigators anticipate several far-reaching impacts that will (a) test a nationally useful standardized way to quantify exposure; (b) invest in nature resources and accessibility on campuses; and (c) promote the mental health and therapeutic benefits of nature among young adults. These will lead to understanding the nature exposure and mental health interplay and techniques for quantifying and encouraging nature exposure to treat the on-going youth mental health crisis. Including HBCUs and an hispanic-serving institution is expected to result in heightened visibility of underlying disparities, including structural racism and land-based violence and discrimination, that have contributed to current-day nature gaps and dismantled nature relationships for students of color.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mental Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Increasing time in nature

Detailed Description

America faces a syndemic of youth 'nature deficit disorder' and poor mental health. These conditions can be improved by nature contact, but the outdoors is not equally accessible, particularly for students of color. This study leverages the NatureDose™ app to identify racial/ethnic inequities in nature opportunities, belonging, and benefits and conduct an RCT to improve mental health and address disparities by getting university students outdoors into nature. The investigators will test 3 over-arching questions:

1. Are there differences in nature opportunities and/or belongingness for White versus students of color?
2. Does more time in nature correlate with greater feelings of nature connectedness, belongingness, and better mental health?
3. Is a nature-based intervention that leverages NatureDoseTM a cost-effective way to improve mental health, particularly for students of color?

This project has two stages. 1) We will determine nature opportunities at each institution using park and sports field mapping, remote sensing, and tree canopy assessment within 30 miles of campuses to identify disparities. 2) As Fall semester starts, we will recruit 160 students/site for a randomized controlled trial (N=1,440 total, giving 80% power to detect effects down to Cohen's d=0.2 even with attrition). Students will complete baseline surveys on nature connectedness (NR-6), nature belongingness (validated scale for university students), mental health (distress, worry, positive/negative affect), and demographics. Next, students will download the NatureDose™ app, which uses 30+ datasets and machine learning models to quantify nature. The app calculates how much nature is near users whenever they are outdoors, and weekly minutes in nature. App data will be collected over a 2-week baseline period, after which students will be randomized to receive 1) standard information about the health benefits of nature (50%) (Active Control) or 2) standard health information, a request to increase weekly minutes in nature, eligibility for a prize, and peer performance comparison. After 2 weeks, students will repeat baseline surveys.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 1545
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21251
      • Morgan State University
    • College Park, Maryland, United States, 20742
      • University Of Maryland
    • Salisbury, Maryland, United States, 21804
      • University of Maryland Eastern Shore
  • Michigan
    • East Lansing, Michigan, United States, 48824
      • Michigan State University
  • New Mexico
    • Albequerque, New Mexico, United States, 87131
      • University of New Mexico
  • North Carolina
    • Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, 27411
      • North Carolina A&T University
  • Ohio
    • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44115
      • Cleveland State University
  • South Carolina
    • Clemson, South Carolina, United States, 29631
      • Clemson University
  • Virginia
    • Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22902
      • University of Virginia

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Undergraduate student
• 18-24 years of age
• Lives within 30 miles of university campus

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not an undergraduate student
• Under 18 or over 24 years of age
• Lives > 30 miles from the university campus

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group receiving standard health information; This group will receive information about health benefits in nature.
Active Comparator: Intervention Group receiving standard health information + incentives to increase time outdoors; This group will receive information on the health benefits of time outdoors, a request to increase their time outdoors, eligibility to receive a prize, and information on peer performance.	Other: Increasing time in nature; This intervention includes requesting an increase in time spent outdoors, eligibility to receive a prize, and information on peer performance.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Kessler-6	Kessler-6 changed to be a two week recall period. Range: 0-24. Higher scores indicate higher distress.	From enrollment to end of participation phase, 4 weeks.
Worry	Single question "I worry all the time" on a likert-type scale. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29214862/. Values range from 1-5, whereby a higher score indicates more frequent worry.	from enrollment to the final survey (4 week period)
Positive and Negative Affect Scale	This scale is comprised of 20 items, with 10 items measuring positive affect (e.g., excited, inspired) and 10 items measuring negative affect (e.g., upset, afraid). Each item is rated on a five-point Likert Scale, ranging from 1 = Very Slightly or Not at all to 5 = Extremely, to measure the extent to which the affect has been experienced, over a two-week period. Positive affect range: 10-50, whereby higher values indicate higher positive affect. Negative affect range: 10-50, whereby higher values indicate higher negative affect.	from emrollment to the final survey (4 week period)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
NR-6	Nature relatedness scale, developed by Nisbet and Zelenski. Each question asked on a likert-type scale from 1 to 5. Then these values are averaged (after considering reverse scored items) to create a score (final score range 1-5), whereby higher values indicate higher nature relatedness.	From enrollment to the final survey (4 week period)
Access to Nature scale	Access to nature scale, developed by Anders et al. Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494422001943#appsec1. There twelve questions employ a Likert-type scale where 1 reflected little-to-no barrier and 5 reflected the greatest barrier to access. All items were reverse scored for a total sum that reflected participants' overall access to nature, whereby higher scores indicate fewer barriers to access (range 12-60).	from enrollment to the final survey (4 week period)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Michigan State University
• Collaborators: University of Maryland; Medical College of Wisconsin; University of Virginia; University of New Mexico; Clemson University; Cleveland State University; Morgan State University; University of Maryland Eastern Shore; North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University; REI Cooperative Action Fund

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 9, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 7, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 7, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): October 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 12, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 5, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mental Health; Young Adults; Nature
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Psychological Well-Being
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00010829

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

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