Clinical trial NCT06056375: Biological and Behavioral Outcomes of Community Nature Walks
Official title: Examining Anti-Racist Healing in Nature to Protect Telomeres of Transitional Age BIPOC for Health Equity
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: PHASE1
Conditions: Stress, Psychological
Telomere Shortening
Stress Reaction
Lead sponsor: San Francisco State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of California, San Francisco
First posted: 2023-09-28
Enrollment: 200
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SEQUENTIAL
Intervention model description: Waitlist control design
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The investigators will test the efficacy of our proposed intervention to reduce embodied stress in four racial/ethnic groups (Black, Latinx, Pilipinx, and Pacific Islander) as a preventative intervention for health disparities found in these communities. The intervention is comprised of two phases. The first consists of community nature walks in a pristine redwood forest for six months. This is followed by chosen nature activities with family and/or friends for three months. The investigators will test the ability of these activities in nature to reduce chronic stress that underpins many health disparities using validated biological, behavioral, and sociocultural measures. The use of these measures is in alignment with the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework, and will increase understanding of individual, interpersonal, community, and social level factors that lead to, and that can eliminate health disparities.

Detailed description: The investigators will test the efficacy of our proposed intervention to reduce embodied stress in four racial/ethnic groups (Black, Latinx, Pilipinx, and Pacific Islander) as a preventative intervention for health disparities found in these communities. The intervention is comprised of two phases. The first consists of community nature walks in a pristine redwood forest for six months. This is followed by chosen nature activities with family and/or friends for three months. The investigators will test the ability of these activities in nature to reduce chronic stress that underpins many health disparities using validated biological, behavioral, and sociocultural measures. The use of these measures is in alignment with the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Research Framework, and will increase understanding of individual, interpersonal, community, and social level factors that lead to, and that can eliminate health disparities.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion critieria:

* 18 years or older
* able to commit to a 9-month Nature Intervention (6-month walks; 3-month chosen nature activity)
* spoken languages: English, Spanish, or Tagalog
* able-bodied as in must be able to walk.

Exclusion criteria:

* pregnant women (and other gender identities who are pregnant)
* prisoners
* cognitively impaired

Primary outcomes:
measure: Relative Telomere Length
timeFrame: Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Hair cortisol concentration
timeFrame: Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
measure: Self-reported stress (extent of)
timeFrame: Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
measure: Positive mood (extent of)
timeFrame: Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
Other outcomes:
measure: Steps (number of)
timeFrame: Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
measure: Heart rate (average of beats per minute over days)
timeFrame: Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
measure: Sleep quality (extent of)
timeFrame: Baseline (pre-intervention), during intervention, immediate post-intervention, 3 months after intervention
Locations:
city: San Francisco
country: United States
facility: San Francisco State University
state: California
Study officials:
References: