Nurtured in Nature: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial to Increase Time in Greenspace among Urban-Dwelling Postpartum Women

• Published in: Journal of urban health 2021-12, Vol.98 (6), p.822-831
• Main Authors: South, Eugenia C., Lee, Kathleen, Oyekanmi, Kehinde, Buckler, David G., Tiako, Max Jordan Nguemeni, Martin, Tyler, Kornfield, Sara L., Srinivas, Sindhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Clinical trials; Depression, Postpartum - prevention & control; Epidemiology; Female; Global positioning systems; GPS; Green infrastructure; Health Informatics; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental health; Neighborhoods; Parks, Recreational; Pilot Projects; Postpartum; Postpartum depression; Postpartum Period; Public Health; Urban Population; Well being
• ISSN: 1099-3460; 1468-2869; 1468-2869
• DOI: 10.1007/s11524-021-00544-z

Spending time in nature is associated with numerous mental health benefits, including reduced depression and improved well-being. However, few studies examine the most effective ways to nudge people to spend more time outside. Furthermore, the impact of spending time in nature has not been previously studied as a postpartum depression (PPD) prevention strategy. To fill these gaps, we developed and pilot tested Nurtured in Nature, a 4-week intervention leveraging a behavioral economics framework, and included a Nature Coach, digital nudges, and personalized goal feedback. We conducted a randomized controlled trial among postpartum women ( n = 36) in Philadelphia, PA between 9/9/2019 and 3/27/2020. Nature visit frequency and duration was determined using GPS data. PPD was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Participants were from low-income, majority Black neighborhoods. Compared to control, the intervention arm had a strong trend toward longer duration and higher frequency of nature visits (IRR 2.6, 95%CI 0.96–2.75, p = 0.059). When analyzing women who completed the intervention (13 of 17 subjects), the intervention was associated with three times higher nature visits compared to control (IRR 3.1, 95%CI 1.16–3.14, p = 0.025). No significant differences were found in the EPDS scores, although we may have been limited by the study’s sample size. Nurture in Nature increased the amount of time postpartum women spent in nature, and may be a useful population health tool to leverage the health benefits of nature in majority Black, low-resourced communities.