Testing a Nature-based Socila Intevention on Loneliness: the RECETAS-PRG Trial

Summary

RECETAS (Re-imagine Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces) is an European project (H2020 No 945095) that aims to reduce loneliness by linking lonely pople to nature-based social actvitities through a group-based intervention.

Background: Loneliness is a person's own perception when his/her need for satisfying social contact and relationships is not met. The feeling of loneliness can be experienced even by a person who is surrounded by people. RECETAS aims to design and test nature-based socila itervention (NBSI) that is group-based and includes access to nature as a main component. The testing will be conducted in six different citites: Barcelona, Helsinki, Prague, Marseille, Cuenca in Ecuador and Melbourne. If succesful, this will provide an evidence-based approach for using social prescribing to address loneliness.

Objectives: to assess the effectiveness of a 10-week NBSI on loneliness and health-related quality of life in vulnerable people in the area of Prague suffering from it compared to usual social and health care at post-intervention, and at 6-, and 12-months post-randomization.

A pilot study was conducted from May to June 2022 prior to the start of the study in January 2023. The main aim of the pilot study was to identify barriers and obstacles to conducting the trial itself.

Methods: The study design is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) including a process evaluation based on Medical health Council guidance, a nested qualitative study and a Health Economics evaluation.

Participants will be recruited mainly from primary care settings (health and social), third sector organisations, community groups, and volunteer organisations. A total of 316 participants will be randomly allocated in two arms after the baseline assessment: NBSI tratment and control arms. All of them will be asked to sign the informed consent form.

Conditions

• Loneliness

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Nature-based social intervention (NBIS)

Nature-based social prescribing is a multicomponent, multi-level, behaviorally based complex intervention applaied by facilitators after a specific training. It comprises: a psychosocial component and nature-based activities. The psychosocial component is adapted from the group dynamic of "Circle of Friends" methodolgy focused on loneliness(Jansson A, Pitkälä KH, 2021) adapted to the cultural context of Prague and the target population (partitipants) of adults who lives in Prague. Participants start with an individual session and then meet once a week for two hours for 10 weeks. At the first meeting together, participants select the nature-based activities they wish to conduct through a co-created menu.

BEHAVIORAL

Usual care + menu with nature based activities

Social prescribing as existing in usual care plus a written menu with the list of nature-based activities in the area.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Barcelona Institute for Global Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Vladimíra Dostálová

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jill S Litt, PhD · Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-03-27

Primary Completion

2025-02-26

Completion

2025-10-31

Countries

• Czechia

Study Locations