Planetary Health and Loneliness

NCT06004531 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: CUB_PHAL2023Lippke202308
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,684
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this 3-phase study is the evaluation of planetary health behaviors and its cognitive processes in relation to levels of eco-anxiety, general well-being, and levels of loneliness. As climate change progresses at a dangerous rate, it is important to establish and maintain lifestyles that are productive, fulfilling, environmentally conscious, and low in anxiety. Through a better understanding of the interconnected nature of planetary health behaviors with other aspects of healthy living and perception of social isolation, and the effect of an intervention, this research will add to current state of science to help inform the creation of interventions promoting sustainable, healthy, happy living among the general public and specific subgroups.

Conditions

Loneliness; Anxiety; Health-Related Behavior; Healthy Lifestyle; Healthy Nutrition; Healthy Diet; Health Behavior; Choice Behavior

Keywords

Planetary Health; Eco-Friendly Behavior; Eco-Anxiety; Covid-19

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Young Consumers' Sustainable Consumption Behaviors (YCSCB) validated scale

  The primary outcome measure will be the YCSCB validated scale questionnaire. This will be given to participants right after they have completed the intervention section of the survey. The answering options range from "Never" (0, minimum score) to "Sometimes" (1) and "Often" (2) up to "Always" (3, maximum score). The items are worded 1. I eat meat (steak, ham, etc.). 2. I eat dairy products (butter, cheese, yoghurt, etc.). 3. I keep a healthy diet. 4. There are times when I discard food products. 5. I buy locally grown food products. 6. I reuse my leftovers for the next meal. and items # 1, 2 and 4 need to be reversed, then all items can be used as single items or as aggregated scales, with higher scores indicating a better outcome in terms of planetary health.

  This scale will take approximately 2 minutes to fill out completely.

• Ethically Minded Consumer Behavior (EMCB) validated scale

  The second primary outcome measure will be the EMCB validated scale questionnaire. This will be given to participants right after they have completed the intervention section of the survey. The answering options range from "Never true" (0, minimum score) to "Rarely true" (1), "Sometimes true" (2), "Mostly true" (3) and "Always true" (4, maximum score). The items are worded (for instance) 1. When there is a choice, I always choose the product that contributes to the least amount of environmental damage. 2\. I have switched products for environmental reasons. 3. If I understand the potential damage to the environment that some products can cause, I do not purchase those products. ... 10. I have paid more for socially responsible products when there is a cheaper alternative. All items can be used as single items or as aggregated scales, with higher scores indicating a better outcome in terms of planetary health.

  This scale will take approximately 2 minutes to fill out completely.

• Loneliness item from the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression-(CES D)-Scale

  To study some of the research questions unrelated to the intervention, the perceived social isolation is measured with a standardized scale building on the item in the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression-(CES-D)-Scale. The item is worded "How often did you feel lonely?" with the answering options "Daily" (3), "Several times a week" (2), "Once a week" (1) and "Rarely/never" (0). The item can be used as single items, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome in terms of more loneliness.

  This item will take less than 1 minute to complete.

Study Arms (2)

Eco-anxiety priming

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants viewed a 2-minute climate change video presenting environmental threats to human survival.

Behavioral: Regulation Of Craving Training (ROC-T); Behavioral: Control group

Control Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants viewed a 2-minute neutral nature documentary without climate change content.

Behavioral: Regulation Of Craving Training (ROC-T); Behavioral: Control group

Interventions

Regulation Of Craving Training (ROC-T) BEHAVIORAL

Participants read a 5-minute article on food and ecological health describing the environmental impacts of food choices and actions to support planetary health. During a subsequent choice task, participants received prompts to recall article content and self-monitor their selections.

Control Arm; Eco-anxiety priming

Control group BEHAVIORAL

Control participants read a time-matched article unrelated to sustainability (no multi-domain pro-environmental behaviors including transportation, consumption, and daily activities; just on the beauty of the German nature) and completed the choice task without recall prompts.

Control Arm; Eco-anxiety priming

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Ability to participate in surveys (e.g., sufficient German or English language skills)

You may not qualify if:

• Not being of age
• Illiteracy
• Massively limited cognitive abilities (linguistic components of the digital offerings must be able to be used and questionnaires completed or interviews participated in)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH: lead

Study Sites (1)

Germany

Bremen, 28759, Germany

Location

Related Publications (24)

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Health Behavior; COVID-19

Interventions

Control Groups

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Behavior; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Virus Diseases; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Epidemiologic Research Design; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Research Design; Methods

Study Officials

• Sonia Lippke, Dr.

  Constructor University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2023
• First Posted: August 22, 2023
• Study Start: December 28, 2024
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2024
• Study Completion: December 31, 2025
• Last Updated: September 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

DE (1)