PHENOTYPE. Therapeutic Study in Barcelona

NCT ID: NCT02624921

Last Updated: 2018-04-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 26 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2013-10-31
• Study Completion Date: 2014-01-31

Brief Summary

The study aimed to explore therapeutic effects of natural environments. To do so, the investigators evaluated the immediate and sustained changes in several indicators of well-being while people (n=26) with poor mental health were engaged in unconstrained exposures to natural (green, blue) and urban environments. The indicators included: affection, cognition, physiological responses.

Each participant was exposed to all environments for a period of 210 minutes between October 2013 and January 2014. During the exposure period, participants were instructed to do what they would usually do in that environment. Before, during (at 30 and 210 minutes) and after each exposure, several psycho-physiological measures were taken: (i) heart rate variability and heart rate using a Holter monitor, (ii) blood pressure using a digital blood pressure monitor, (iii) physical activity using the CalFIT application installed in a Smartphone, (iv) lung function using a portable computerized spirometer, (v) stress level using salivary cortisol samples collected using Salivettes, (vi) affect, perceived restoration and social interactions using questionnaires, (vii) cognitive functioning using the backwards digit-span task test.

Conditions

Poor Mental Health; Natural Outdoor Environments

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_CROSSOVER
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Interventions

There was no intervention.

Participants were transported one day to a urban setting, one day to a green space, one day to a beach. No intervention was done.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• MHI-5 scored in the lower 50th percentile of the Barcelona city PHENOTYPE sample
• willing to participate

Exclusion Criteria

• no able to walk for 30 minutes at self-directed pace.
• with chest, abdomen surgery or heart attack during the last three months.
• with retinal detachment or eyes surgery or hospitalized for heart problem during the last month.
• with tuberculosis treatment, or respiratory infection during the last three weeks.
• being asthmatic or pregnant
• using inhaler the 24 hours previous to the study day.
• taking medication different from the usual the 24 hours previous to the study day.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 75 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Barcelona Institute for Global Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Mark Nieuwenhuijsen

Air Pollution and Urban Environment program coordinator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

References

Triguero-Mas M, Gidlow CJ, Martinez D, de Bont J, Carrasco-Turigas G, Martinez-Iniguez T, Hurst G, Masterson D, Donaire-Gonzalez D, Seto E, Jones MV, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. The effect of randomised exposure to different types of natural outdoor environments compared to exposure to an urban environment on people with indications of psychological distress in Catalonia. PLoS One. 2017 Mar 1;12(3):e0172200. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172200. eCollection 2017.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 28248974 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

PHENOTYPE_WP4BCN

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id