Explore the Effects of Virtual Reality Natural Environment of Older People

NCT05803460 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: YM111067E
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual natural environment interventions on attention and mood among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. It was hypothesized that virtual reality combined with natural environments will improve attention to varying degrees and produce mood and physiological health outcomes in the elderly. This will be assessed by comparing the effects of virtual natural interventions with actual urban and natural interventions. Participants will randomly assign to virtual nature, actual nature, or actual urban group for a single 20-minute environmental session.

Conditions

Older People

Keywords

Elders; Attention; Emotion; natural environment; virtual reality

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Digit span test

  To measure attention.

  Baseline and 20 minutes

• Trail Making Test

  To measure attention.

  Baseline and 20 minutes

• The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule

  To measure emotion.

  Baseline and 20 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability

  Baseline and 20 minutes

Other Outcomes (1)

• Perceived Restorativeness Scale

  Baseline and 20 minutes

Study Arms (3)

Actual nature group: Actual experience of nature environment

EXPERIMENTAL

actual natural environment; participants in this group engage in 20 minutes of seated meditation in a natural park.

Behavioral: Experimental group: Actual nature group

Virtual nature group: virtual reality experience of nature environment

EXPERIMENTAL

virtual reality experience of nature environment; Participants watched a 20-minute video of a virtual natural environment filmed by researchers.

Behavioral: Experimental group: Virtual nature group

Actual urban group: actual experience of city

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

actual experience of city; participants in the group engage in 20 minutes of seated meditation in a safe urban area.

Behavioral: Control group: Actual urban group

Interventions

Experimental group: Actual nature group BEHAVIORAL

Participants will go to the park and sit still for 20 minutes.The natural environment site is the same as the video scenes used in the virtual natural environment intervention, located in a natural park in Taipei City.

Actual nature group: Actual experience of nature environment

Experimental group: Virtual nature group BEHAVIORAL

Participants will experience the virtual reality natural environment by the researcher for 20 minutes.The 360-degree panoramic natural environment scenes were from a natural park in Taipei City.Considering the elderly user experience, this study utilized standalone immersive virtual reality headset. Once wearing the goggles in a comfortable seated position, participants engaged in a 20-minute virtual reality environment experience.

Virtual nature group: virtual reality experience of nature environment

Control group: Actual urban group BEHAVIORAL

Participants will sit still for 20 minutes in a city environment.The urban environment is selected within the community's urban landscape.

Actual urban group: actual experience of city

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 65 years and older
• Cognitive function is normal (SPMSQ \>8)(The SPMSQ test was performed before the intervention to screen the cognitive function of the subjects).
• The subjects can communicate in Chinese or Taiwanese.

You may not qualify if:

• Diseases affecting the results of the study, such as mental illness
• Vision or hearing problems
• Diseases transmitted by eyes or skin

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University: lead

Study Sites (1)

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Chou CC, Lin JN, Yu CP, Chen CW, Yeh AY, Lin YK. Effects of a Virtual Reality-Based Natural Environment Intervention on Attention and Mood in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Aging. 2026 Feb 25;9:e87861. doi: 10.2196/87861.

  PMID: 41740958 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Cheng-Chen Chou, Ph.D

  Nursing

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The data collection will be carried out by a researcher who is blind to the intervention allocation, according to standard research guideline.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 13, 2023
• First Posted: April 7, 2023
• Study Start: April 7, 2023
• Primary Completion: July 31, 2024
• Study Completion: July 31, 2024
• Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Record last verified: 2023-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TW (1)