NCT05803460

Explore the Effects of Virtual Reality Natural Environment of Older People

Explore the Effects of Virtual Reality Based Natural Environment Intervention Programs on Improving Attention, Emotion, and Cognitive Function of Older People

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 120 (actual)
• Sponsor: National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual natural environment interventions on attention and mood among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. It was hypothesized that virtual reality combined with natural environments will improve attention to varying degrees and produce mood and physiological health outcomes in the elderly. This will be assessed by comparing the effects of virtual natural interventions with actual urban and natural interventions. Participants will randomly assign to virtual nature, actual nature, or actual urban group for a single 20-minute environmental session.

Detailed description

This study will examine the effect of virtual natural environment intervention on attention and mood among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. This consist 3 parallel groups and 2 assessment periods. Participants in communities will be randomly assigned to virtual nature, actual nature, or actual urban group for a single 20-minute environmental session. Data will be collected at baseline and after intervention. This study recruits older adults from community locations in Taipei, Taiwan. Since no similar studies have been conducted before, the medium effect size 0. 25 is assumed, using the F-test analysis of variance, α = 0.05, power = 0.80, calculated the required total of 120 participants. Data is collected using mood and restorative questionnaires, attention tests, and a digital heart variability device. Statistical analyses will be performed using generalized estimating equations.

Conditions

• Older People

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Experimental group: Actual nature group	Participants will go to the park and sit still for 20 minutes.The natural environment site is the same as the video scenes used in the virtual natural environment intervention, located in a natural park in Taipei City.
BEHAVIORAL	Experimental group: Virtual nature group	Participants will experience the virtual reality natural environment by the researcher for 20 minutes.The 360-degree panoramic natural environment scenes were from a natural park in Taipei City.Considering the elderly user experience, this study utilized standalone immersive virtual reality headset. Once wearing the goggles in a comfortable seated position, participants engaged in a 20-minute virtual reality environment experience.
BEHAVIORAL	Control group: Actual urban group	Participants will sit still for 20 minutes in a city environment.The urban environment is selected within the community's urban landscape.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-04-07
• Primary completion: 2024-07-31
• Completion: 2024-07-31
• First posted: 2023-04-07
• Last updated: 2025-12-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Taiwan