Benefits of Outdoor Walks in Reducing Depressive Symptoms

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Depressive Symptoms

In brief

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether outdoor walking in different environments-urban or natural-can reduce depressive symptoms among college students. The study also tests whether providing prompts for active engagement during nature walks enhances the benefits compared to unstructured nature walks. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) urban walk, (2) nature walk, or (3) active nature walk with guided interaction. Each participant will walk for 30 minutes, twice a week, for 3 weeks, complete questionnaires, and participate in interviews. Our primary outcome (PHQ-9) will be used to test the following two primary hypotheses: * Hypothesis 1: Participants in both nature walk conditions (combined) will show greater reductions in depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) than those in the urban walk group. * Hypothesis 2: Participants in the active nature walk will show greater reductions than those in the regular nature walk.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06989801

Run by

University of Washington

People needed

138

Starts

2025-04-11

Expected to finish

2025-12-27

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-04

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• College students in Seattle
• Aged over 18.
• Having depressive symptoms with self-rated Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scored higher than 5.
• Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity.
• No identified hearing impairment.
• No history of neurological or mental disorders.

You may not qualify if…

• Receiving clinical psychiatric treatment or psychological counseling.
• Failing in providing consent form.

Where it is running

• Condon Hall — Seattle, Washington, United States
• Merrill Hall — Seattle, Washington, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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