The effects on mental health, stress, and physical activity from the urban natural environment: A comparison between real and virtual experiences(1/3)

Project: A - Government Institutionb - National Science and Technology Council

Project Details

Description

Rapid urbanization decreases the connection between urban residents and the natural environment. Living in an urban environment for a long time leads to stress, poor mental health, and an unhealthy lifestyle. Virtual reality is an innovative strategy for connectedness to nature. Virtual natural leisure experiences might contribute to health promotion in the urban population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the effect of the virtual natural environment on mental health, stress, and physical activity by comparing the difference of health benefits between the real and virtual environment, physical activity intensity, and virtual urban natural and artificial scenario. The method conducts randomized controlled trials and two-factor factorial design. A total of 120 healthy adults aged between 20 and 50 are recruited in each stage. Participants are randomly assigned into three groups of the real environment, 2D video, and virtual reality in the first stage. Participants are randomly assigned into four groups of real sitting, real walking, virtual sitting, and virtual walking in the second stage. Participants are randomly assigned into three groups of virtual urban green, blue, and gray in the third stage. The measurement includes heart rate variability monitors, sphygmomanometer, wearable devices, and self-administrated questionnaires. The period of this research plan is from 2020 to 2023. Descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, repeated measures-ANOVA, and linear mixed model are performed to examine the research hypotheses in each year. This evidence-based study will support potential health benefits of the urban natural resource, virtual reality technology, leisure experiences, and physical activity promotion. A recommendation for future health policy and technology industry is provided. Furthermore, this study expects virtual reality to become an efficient alternative for the urban population approaches to nature, in order to achieve the goal of health promotion.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date8/1/207/1/21

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