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Clinical Trial Details — Status: Active, not recruiting

Administrative data

NCT number NCT02495194
Other study ID # B-15-016
Secondary ID
Status Active, not recruiting
Phase N/A
First received June 24, 2015
Last updated May 6, 2016
Start date April 2015
Est. completion date October 2016

Study information

Verified date May 2016
Source National University, Singapore
Contact n/a
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority Singapore: National University of Singapore
Study type Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The objective of this study is to determine whether horticultural therapy would improve the psychological well-being of the older adults. 70 healthy elderly were randomized into the active horticultural therapy or the waitlist control group. Sessions will be conducted weekly for 12 weeks, and monthly for 3 months. Participants would be assessed at 3 time-points: at the start, at 3-months and at 6-months.

It was hypothesized that as compared to the waitlist control group, participants in the active horticultural therapy will have (1) lower depression and anxiety symptomatology; (2) higher life satisfaction; (3) feel more socially connected; and (4) improved cognitive functioning.


Description:

Participants Study participants are community-dwelling elderly.

Assessments Demographic data will be collected at the start. Psychological tests for depression, anxiety and psychological well-being as well as neuropsychological tests of cognitive functioning will be done at the start, at 3-months and at 6-months. Blood samples will also be collected at all three time points.

Intervention Sessions This is an intervention study with a waitlist control group design. The strength of this design is its experimental nature with randomization.

The Horticultural Therapy intervention is delivered by a trained practitioner at various locations and consists of 1 hour sessions weekly for first 3 months, followed by monthly session for the next 3 months. The extension of monthly sessions for 3 months is to determine sustainability and longer-term changes. The intervention is designed to cultivate an interest in gardening and promote relaxation. This will be achieved in stages, facilitated by trained volunteers and practitioners. The plant would be selected based on subjects' profiles e.g. familiarity, preference, safety and its maintenance would be followed up every fortnight. Park venues were selected based on patients profiles and park features e.g. familiarity, comfort under weather, safety.

The control group will be placed on a waiting list and only be contacted for assessments. They will receive intervention after the active treatment group at a later date.

The horticultural therapy is conducted solely for the purpose of this research.


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Active, not recruiting
Enrollment 69
Est. completion date October 2016
Est. primary completion date October 2015
Accepts healthy volunteers No
Gender Both
Age group 60 Years to 85 Years
Eligibility Inclusion criteria:

1. Community-living elderly aged between 60 to 85 years AND

2. able to provide informed consent AND

3. function independently AND

4. With a minimum score of 22 and above on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Those who do not meet the above inclusion criteria (ie. Do not have a MCI diagnosis),

2. Does not have a minimum score of 22 and above on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment OR

3. Currently suffering from or have history of severe medical conditions e.g. cancer, stroke, Parkinson disease OR

4. History of severe psychiatric conditions e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder OR

5. Dementia OR

6. Undergoing another therapy at the same time OR

7. Significant visual or hearing impairment OR

8. Marked upper and lower limb motor difficulties, which may affect their ability to participate in the study.

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Outcomes Assessor)


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


Intervention

Behavioral:
Horticultural Therapy
The Horticultural Therapy intervention consists of 1 hour sessions weekly for first 3 months, followed by monthly session for the next 3 months. They will be taught on the basic gardening techniques such as sowing, weeding and fertilization during the hands-on sessions. They will also be taken on walks to the various parks to enjoy the therapeutic effect of the park greenery

Locations

Country Name City State
Singapore Training and Research Academy; Jurong Point Shopping Centre Singapore

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
National University, Singapore National Parks Board, Singapore

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Singapore, 

References & Publications (35)

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Hayashi, N., Wada, T., Hirai, H., Miyake, T., Matsuura, Y., Shimizu, N., Kurooka, H. & Horiuchi, S. (2008). The effects of horticultural activity in a community garden on mood changes. Environmental Control in Biology, 46(4), 233-240.

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Kam, M. C., & Siu, A. M. (2010). Evaluation of a horticultural activity programme for persons with psychiatric illness. Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, 20(2), 80-86.

Kamioka H, Tsutani K, Yamada M, Park H, Okuizumi H, Honda T, Okada S, Park SJ, Kitayuguchi J, Abe T, Handa S, Mutoh Y. Effectiveness of horticultural therapy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med. 2014 Oct;22(5):930-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.08.009. Epub 2014 Sep 1. Review. — View Citation

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Kim YK, Lee HP, Won SD, Park EY, Lee HY, Lee BH, Lee SW, Yoon D, Han C, Kim DJ, Choi SH. Low plasma BDNF is associated with suicidal behavior in major depression. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Jan 30;31(1):78-85. Epub 2006 Aug 10. — View Citation

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Kua EH. A community study of mental disorders in elderly Singaporean Chinese using the GMS-AGECAT package. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1992 Sep;26(3):502-6. — View Citation

Lee BH, Kim H, Park SH, Kim YK. Decreased plasma BDNF level in depressive patients. J Affect Disord. 2007 Aug;101(1-3):239-44. Epub 2006 Dec 13. — View Citation

Liu Y, Ho RC, Mak A. Interleukin (IL)-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and soluble interleukin-2 receptors (sIL-2R) are elevated in patients with major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. J Affect Disord. 2012 Aug;139(3):230-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2011.08.003. Epub 2011 Aug 26. — View Citation

Milligan C, Gatrell A, Bingley A. "Cultivating health": therapeutic landscapes and older people in northern England. Soc Sci Med. 2004 May;58(9):1781-93. — View Citation

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Shimizu E, Hashimoto K, Okamura N, Koike K, Komatsu N, Kumakiri C, Nakazato M, Watanabe H, Shinoda N, Okada S, Iyo M. Alterations of serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in depressed patients with or without antidepressants. Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Jul 1;54(1):70-5. — View Citation

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* Note: There are 35 references in allClick here to view all references

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Other Demographic questionnaire Their social, demographic, and lifestyle data (i.e. how often they usually visit the parks or do gardening) will only be collected at baseline. This is the same for the participants' medical conditions. Baseline No
Other Feedback questionnaire Feedback questionnaire will be conducted to convey participants' subjective experience and thereby expanding our understanding of the impact of the horticultural therapy intervention. The survey will ask participants to identify what was the most helpful part of the class, what suggestions they have for improvement, and whether they had continued gardening and/or visiting the parks. This brief survey will only be administered once during the post-intervention assessment. Participants' responses will be informally tallied and listed in categories. Baseline No
Primary Change from baseline Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) at 3-months and 6-months The SDS (Zung, 1965) is a 20-item quantitative measurement of symptoms of depression. Participants rate each item regarding how they felt during the week preceding using a 4-point scale that ranges from 1 (a little of the time) to 4 (most of the time). A total raw score computed by summing the scores on the individual items will be converted into a percentage (the SDS index); the higher the SDS index, the greater the severity of depressive symptoms. Several studies have established the SDS as a reliable and valid instrument for measuring depressive symptoms (Biggs et al., 1978; Gabrys and Peters, 1985; Agrell and Dehlin, 1989). baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) at 3-months and 6-months The SAS (Zung, 1971) will be used to measure anxiety of the participants in the preceding week. It is a 20-item self-report assessment designed to measure anxiety levels, based on cognitive, autonomic, motor and central nervous system symptoms. Each question is scored on a Likert-type scale of 1-4 (a little of the time) to (most of the time). Some questions are negatively worded to avoid the problem of set response. Overall assessment is done by total score. The total raw scores range from 20-80. The raw score then needs to be converted to an "Anxiety Index" score; the higher the SAS index, the greater the severity of depressive symptoms. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being at 3-months and 6-months The Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff and Singer, 1998) is an 18-item questionnaire which reflects the six areas of psychological well-being: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Respondents rate statements on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 indicating strong disagreement and 6 indicating strong agreement. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) at 3-months and 6-months Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen and Griffin, 1985) will be administered. SWLS is a 5-item scale designed to measure global cognitive judgments of one's life satisfaction (not a measure of either positive or negative affect). It is a psychometrically sound measure (Larson, Diener and Emmons, 1985) and has been validated in a geriatric population (Diener et al., 1985). Participants indicate how much they agree or disagree with each of the 5 items using a 7-point scale that ranges from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Total scores were computed by summing the scores on the individual items and ranged from 5 to 35, with higher scores indicating higher level of satisfaction with life. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Friendship Scale (FS) at 3-months and 6-months Social connectedness scale will be measured using the Friendship Scale (Hawthorne, 2006). It is a 6-item questionnaire that measures both social isolation and social connectedness. Participants were asked to rate the frequency in which each statement describes them during the past four weeks on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (almost always) to 5 (not at all). Total scores were computed by summing the scores on the individual items and ranged from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating higher level of social connectedness. The Friendship Scale was developed as a short, user-friendly, stand alone scale measuring perceived social isolation. It was validated with older adults with excellent internal structures, reliability and validity (Hawthorne, 2006; Hawthorne, 2008). baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Interleukin 6 (IL-6) at 3-months and 6-months 10ml of fasting blood will be collected using CPT tube baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) at 3-months and 6-months 10ml of fasting blood will be collected using CPT tube baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) at 3-months and 6-months 10ml of fasting blood will be collected using CPT tube baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Cortisol at 3-months and 6-months 10ml of fasting blood will be collected using CPT tube baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) at 3-months and 6-months 10ml of fasting blood will be collected using CPT tube baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Primary Change from baseline Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) at 3-months and 6-months 10ml of fasting blood will be collected using CPT tube baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from baseline Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at 3-months and 6-months Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (Nasreddine, Phillips, Bedirian, Charbonneau, Whitehead, Collin, et al., 2005) will be administered by trained research assistants and/or research nurses as global measures of cognitive function. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from baseline Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) at 3-months and 6-months Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR ) is a 5-point scale used to characterize six domains of cognitive and functional performance applicable to Alzheimer disease and related dementias: Memory, Orientation, Judgment & Problem Solving, Community Affairs, Home & Hobbies, and Personal Care. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from baseline Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) at 3-months and 6-months Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) evaluates declarative verbal learning and memory. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from baseline Digit Span Task at 3-months and 6-months Digit Span Task, which consists of a Digit Span Forward (DSF) and a Digit Span Backward (DSB) task is used to assess attention and verbal working memory. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from baseline Colour Trails Tests (CTT) at 3-months and 6-months Colour Trails Tests (CTT) 1 and 2 assesses sustained attention and sequencing. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from baseline Block Design at 3-months and 6-months Block Design is a subtest that is administered as part of several of the Wechsler Intelligence tests, and it primarily measures visual-spatial and organizational processing abilities, as well as non-verbal problem-solving skills. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from baseline Semantic Verbal Fluency at 3-months and 6-months Semantic Verbal Fluency taps lexical knowledge and semantic memory organization. baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
Secondary Change from Basic Health Screen (composite) at 3-months and 6-months Blood pressure, Pulse rate, Height and Weight will be measured baseline, 3-months, 6-months No
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