Nature Based Therapy With Mindful Walks in Urban Coastal Setting - Barcelona (Spain)

NCT ID: NCT06622629

Last Updated: 2025-12-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 100 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-09-02
• Study Completion Date: 2025-10-22

Brief Summary

The main objective of the NATURE-MET-B (Barcelona) study is to analyze the effects of a Nature-based Therapy (NbT) on the biopsychological resilience of adults general population through changes in: i) health-related quality of life and ii) allostatic load (physiological stress). The secondary objective is to provide data on the environmental, social, and economic aspects of the intervention in order to refine specific prevention programs and establish programs that include NbT as a secondary preventive measure in healthcare.

Analogous to NATURE-MET-B, two similar NbT studies will be carried out in Padua (Italy) and Salzburg (Austria) for the secondary prevention of Metabolic Syndrom (MetS). These are not multicenter studies but three comparable studies with similar inclusion and exclusion criteria in all study locations. Only the types of landscape and natural exposure sites differ: Barcelona-Coastal Urban, Padua-Urban Green, Salzburg-Mountainous Rural.

Conditions

Healthy Participants

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Intervention Grop

• Adults aged >=18 years
• Smartphone users
• Understand Spanish and/or Catalan language

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Nature based Therapy (NbT): Planned therapeutic techniques performed in natural settings and based on nature-human active participation and connection

Intervention Type: OTHER

The intervention consists of a 5-week (35-day) conscious immersion treatment in a natural coastal urban environment, involving approximately three sessions per week of semi-structured walking and mindfulness exercises lasting 60 minutes. Following this, there will be a follow-up period that will end 5 weeks after the intervention has concluded (day 70). Participants will document and evaluate the therapy sessions at the location where the mindfulness exercises take place, using the mobile phone application App, a digital tool for assessing the environment and health. The aim is to integrate nature-based physical activity and relaxation sessions into daily life.

The intervention will be standardized as much as possible to allow comparison of the results with those from the other study centers in Salzburg (Vienna) and Padua (Italy).

Control group

• Adults aged >=18 years
• Smartphone users
• Understand Spanish and/or Catalan language The control group participants are assessed at the same time as those in the intervention group (t1, t2, and t3). Participants in the control group will be offered the opportunity to benefit from the NbT once the follow-up period is completed (day 70).

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Waiting List

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants in the control group will be offered the opportunity to benefit from the NbT once the follow-up period is completed (day 70).

Interventions

Nature based Therapy (NbT): Planned therapeutic techniques performed in natural settings and based on nature-human active participation and connection

The intervention consists of a 5-week (35-day) conscious immersion treatment in a natural coastal urban environment, involving approximately three sessions per week of semi-structured walking and mindfulness exercises lasting 60 minutes. Following this, there will be a follow-up period that will end 5 weeks after the intervention has concluded (day 70). Participants will document and evaluate the therapy sessions at the location where the mindfulness exercises take place, using the mobile phone application App, a digital tool for assessing the environment and health. The aim is to integrate nature-based physical activity and relaxation sessions into daily life.

The intervention will be standardized as much as possible to allow comparison of the results with those from the other study centers in Salzburg (Vienna) and Padua (Italy).

Intervention Type: OTHER

Waiting List

Participants in the control group will be offered the opportunity to benefit from the NbT once the follow-up period is completed (day 70).

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adults >=18 years
• Smartphone users

Exclusion Criteria

• Acute contraindications

• Malignant hypertension
• Contraindications or differential diagnosis

• Severe respiratory or pulmonary disease (COPD, severe asthma, emphysema)
• Arteriosclerotic incident (e.g., myocardial infarction) 6 months previous the study starting
• Heart failure
• Uncontrolled metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes mellitus)
• Diagnosis or treatment of a malignant disease < 3 years ago
• Chronic immunological diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
• Orthopedic conditions that prevent participation in excursions
• Factors that prevent or hinder participation in the intervention program

• Alcohol or substance abuse (except nicotine)
• Pregnancy
• Insufficient knowledge of Spanish or Catalan (written and spoken/questionnaires)
• Factors that prevent self-management
• Moderate to severe depression (score < 13 points on the WHO-5)
• Other untreated severe psychiatric illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia)
• Taking certain medications
• Use of weight loss supplements
• Participation in another clinical intervention trial
• Participation in therapeutic weight loss programs

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Barcelona Institute for Global Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

ISGlobal

Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Countries

Spain

Other Identifiers

101081420 RESONATE

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

2024/11524/I

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id