Cognition, Mood, Parkinson Disease
Conditions
Keywords
Nature, Natural Environments
Brief summary
This online study aims to explore the benefits of nature for mood and cognition in persons with and without Parkinson's disease. For the purpose of this survey, natural environment refers to places that primarily consist of natural elements, such as vegetation, water bodies, and landscapes. This includes greenspaces (such as parks, gardens, neighborhood streets lined with trees, forests, or nature reserves) bluespaces (such as next to beaches, lakes, rivers, ponds, or waterfronts), and desert regions, among others.
Detailed description
To participate in this online study, you will need an email address, and a smartphone or laptop/desktop with internet access. If you are eligible to participate, you will be sent a link to an online survey (Qualtrics). We will ask questions about demographic and health information, followed by questions about exercise habits, exposure to natural environments (including greenspaces and bluespaces, among others), and questionnaires assessing mood, motivation, cognition, sleep, stress, quality of life, and related functions. The survey should take roughly 20-25 minutes to complete. This is an observational study only, and not an interventional study. Compensation: A $15 Amazon gift card will be offered to those who complete the survey all the way through with good effort.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Boston University Charles River Campus
Study design
Observational model
CASE_ONLY
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 100 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
For persons with Parkinson's disease: * Participants must be at least 40 years old * Have a diagnosis of idiopathic PD * Be proficient English speakers * Have functional vision * Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop For persons without Parkinson's disease: * Participants must be healthy middle-aged and older adults, with no diagnosis of neurological/neurodegenerative conditions * Participants must be at least 40 years old * Be proficient English speakers * Have functional vision * Have internet access, and access to a smartphone/laptop/desktop
Exclusion criteria
(both groups): * Diagnosis of dementia * Poor vision (non-functional range) * Lack of access to internet or to a smartphone/ laptop/desktop computer.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Nature Connection Index | Baseline | Assesses the extent to which people feel connected to nature. |
| Perceived Restorativeness Scale | Baseline | Assesses the extent to which particular environments have restorative qualities. Higher scores indicate greater perceived restorativeness. |
| Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) | Baseline | Assesses depressive symptoms in the general population. Maximum score:60. Higher scores indicate more severe depression. |
| Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2 | Baseline | Assesses sleep and nocturnal disturbances in Parkinson's disease. Maximum score: 60. Higher scores indicate more frequent sleep disturbances. |
| Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire - 8 (PDQ-8) | Baseline | Assesses Parkinson's disease-specific health-related quality of life. Maximum Score: 32. Higher scores indicate worse quality of life. |
| Perceived Stress Scale | Baseline | Assesses how different situations affect feelings and perception of stress. Maximum score: 40. Higher scores indicate higher perceived stress. |
| NIH NeuroQoL measures | Baseline | Assesses health-related quality of life in adults with neurological disorders. Higher scores on the sub-scales indicate worse outcomes. |
| Parkinson's Anxiety Scale (PAS) | Baseline | Assesses the severity of anxiety symptoms in persons with Parkinson's disease. Maximum score:48. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed