NCT06893224

Can the Belgian Coastal Environment Improve Physical and Cognitive Health in Older Adults?

Can the Belgian Coastal Environment Boost Physical and Cognitive Health in Older Adults?

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University Ghent · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The goal of this interventional study is to learn if exposure to coastal environments improves the physical and cognitive health of older adults over the age of 60. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does coastal exposure affect physical stress levels in older adults? Does coastal exposure affect self-reported stress levels in older adults? Does coastal exposure affect cognitive measures, such as sustained attention, in older adults? Does coastal exposure affect sleep quality in older adults? Is there a difference between the various components of coastal environments (e.g. dykes, dunes,...) in their effect on older adults' physical stress? This wil be a within-subject study, in which participants get exposed to both a coastal and an urban environment to compare their response to these environments. Participants will perform a coastal and urban walk on different days, equipped with wearable sensors (namely a wrist- and chestband) to measure various parameters such as heart rate and skin conductivity. Before, during and after the walk saliva samples will be collected for cortisol analysis. Before and after the walks they will also answer some questions (on e.g. overall demographics but also self-reported mental health) and perform cognitive tests (to study e.g. sustained attention).

Detailed description

Due to practical reasons regarding time, infrastructure and resources, the second phase with video exposure was cancelled. Furthermore, although randomization was initially planned, allocation to intervention order was ultimately determined by room availability constraints, resulting in a non-randomized design.

Conditions

• Physiologic Monitoring
• Self-report Questionnaire
• Sleep Quality
• Cognitive Function

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Coastal exposure	This is a "real-life" exposure to the coastal environment, in which participants walk to a bench, sit there for 15 minutes, followed by a walk of approximately 30 minutes. After the 15 minute sitting period, a saliva sample is collected. During the walk, participants are equipped with wearable sensors. The walking route is indicated on a map.
OTHER	Urban exposure	This is a "real-life" exposure to the urban environment, in which participants walk to a bench, sit there for 15 minutes, followed by a walk of approximately 30 minutes. After the 15 minute sitting period, a saliva sample is collected. During the walk, participants are equipped with wearable sensors. The walking route is indicated on a map.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-09-25
• Primary completion: 2026-12-01
• Completion: 2027-12-31
• First posted: 2025-03-25
• Last updated: 2026-04-14

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Belgium