Walking Green: The Effects of Walking in Forested and Urban Areas

NCT03950661 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: STU00201604
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 82
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This research hypothesizes that moderate physical activity in a "green environment" (e.g. a forest preserve path) has increased benefits on psychological measures (stress, anxiety, mood, depression, attention) and on physiological measures (Heart Rate Variability, Blood Glucose, Salivary Cortisol) when directly compared to activity in a "gray environment" (urban or suburban sidewalks). The study design is a randomized crossover design in which each subject is assigned randomly to a group which determines the order in which participants will walk in each location. Subjects will take three 50-minute walks per location in one week, with half of the subjects taking the urban walks first as per group assignment. Control data are collected on days when participants do not walk. Physiological data are taken during walks and control periods (heart rate, heart rate variation). Biomarker samples (saliva, dried blood spots) are taken on selected days. Psychological data are take before and after walks and control periods.

Conditions

Mood; Stress; Anxiety; Depression; Obesity; Health Behavior; Physical Activity

Keywords

nature; walk; stress; Green Walking; Physical Activity; Environment; anxiety; mood

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Psychological Effects - Mood

  Change in Positive and Negative Affect scale 0 = never, 4 = very often. Higher Positive Affect scores reflect better reported mood scores. Lower Negative Affect Scores reflect better mood scores. Average values based on age

  29 days

• Psychological Effects - Anxiety

  change in STAI (STAI-TRAIT anxiety) score based on a Likert scale self reported score. Higher scores indicate a higher level of self-reported anxiety.

  29 days

• Psychological Effects - Attention

  change in vBDS (backward digit span) score lower scores indicate a increased inability to properly recall the numbers in the test.

  29 days

• Psychological Effects - Depression

  change in CESD score. Possible range of scores is 0 to 60, with the higher scores indicating the presence of more symptomatology. Citation: Radloff LS: The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population.

  29 days

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Physiological Effects - Blood Glucose

  29 days

• Physiological Effects - Salivary Cortisol

  29 days

• Physiological Effects - Blood

  29 days

• Physiological Effects - Heart Rate Variation

  29 days

Study Arms (2)

Forest

EXPERIMENTAL

Each subject is exposed to a 50 minute walk in a "green location" at some point during the crossover experiment. The psychological and physiological measurements taken during these walk location weeks are compared to the measurements from the other location. In addition a 'control' day is assigned for each location (ADL).

Other: Walking

Urban

EXPERIMENTAL

Each subject is exposed to a 50 minute walk in a "gray location" at some point during the crossover experiment. The psychological and physiological measurements taken during these walk location weeks are compared to the measurements from the other location. In addition a 'control' day is assigned for each location (ADL).

Other: Walking

Interventions

Walking OTHER

Forest; Urban

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• over the age of 18
• under the age of 35
• no current infections / recent infections (\<2weeks)
• PAR-Q+ scores indicative of readiness to engage in physical activity

You may not qualify if:

• Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding
• Inability to consent
• Incarcerated Persons
• non-adults

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Northwestern University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois, 60208, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Depression; Obesity; Health Behavior; Motor Activity

Interventions

Walking

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Locomotion; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise; Motor Activity

Study Officials

• Teresa Horton

  Northwestern University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Randomized cross over design. Repeated measures.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 13, 2019
• First Posted: May 15, 2019
• Study Start: June 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: August 14, 2017
• Study Completion: December 8, 2017
• Last Updated: May 3, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)