Nature-based Outdoor Activities for Promoting Stress Resilience in Employees

NCT07601360 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: CUHKShenzhen_2
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 160
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to assess the impact of a nature-based workplace intervention on stress resilience in full-time employees in Hong Kong. The main question it aims to answer is: Does a nature-based group activity intervention improve stress resilience in employees? Researchers will compare the intervention group (participants who attend three nature-based group sessions) to the control group (participants who receive no intervention and continue their usual routines) to see if the nature-based activities lead to greater improvements in stress resilience compared to no intervention. Participants will complete baseline measurements (questionnaires, blood pressure, and heart rate variability) one week before the first session. If assigned to the intervention group: Attend three one-hour group sessions at a nearby park (once every two weeks, 8:00-9:00 AM) involving mindful walking, gentle movement, nature observation, breathing exercises, and group reflection If assigned to the control group: Continue their usual daily routines with no specific activities Complete follow-up assessments (same measurements as baseline): immediately after the second session and one week after the third session Primary measurement: HRV Secondary measurements: Blood pressure, Perceived stress scale (PSS) and the Difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS).

Conditions

Stress (Psychology)

Keywords

Nature-based outdoor activities; HRV

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Heart rate variability (HRV)

  HRV will be measured using SA-3000P (MEDICORE, Korea). The sensor is positioned with a strap around the fingertip of the middle finger on one of the participants hands. This study will use RMSSD (ms), SDNN (ms) and LF/HF ratio as HRV indicators to evaluate the stress response. In HRV analysis, higher RMSSD values indicate greater parasympathetic activity, reflecting relaxation and recovery. Similarly, Higher SDNN values indicate greater overall HRV, reflecting better autonomic nervous system flexibility. In contrast, higher LF/HF ratio values indicate sympathetic dominance, reflecting stress and arousal. This will be measured three times: at baseline (T1), immediately after the second session (T2), and one week after the third session (T3).

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Blood pressure (BP)

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Perceived stress scale (PSS)

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS)

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Outdoor activity group

EXPERIMENTAL

Three days outdoor activity group

Behavioral: Nature outdoor activities

No-treatment control group

NO INTERVENTION

No specific activities required

Interventions

Nature outdoor activities BEHAVIORAL

After randomization, participants in the intervention group will attend three group activity sessions, while those in the control group will receive no intervention and were instructed to continue their usual daily routines. The group activity sessions will be conducted at a nearby park for one hour each session (8:00-9:00 AM). Sessions will be held once every two weeks, for a total of three sessions. Each session will be contained various group activities, such as mindful walking, gentle movement, nature observation, breathing exercises and group reflection. These group activities led by facilitators aims to increase social interaction and nature exposure. Participants in the control group were not asked to attend specific activities.

Outdoor activity group

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Over 18 years
• Full-time employees

You may not qualify if:

• part-time employees
• individuals employed for less than six months
• those with symptoms of heart disease
• participants over 65 years of age

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Location

Study Officials

• Eun Yeong Choe, PhD

  The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 8, 2026
• First Posted: May 22, 2026
• Study Start: September 30, 2025
• Primary Completion: October 30, 2025
• Study Completion: March 30, 2026
• Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

HK (1)