3.4 Österåsen

Lifestyle Medicine Österåsen (Region Västernorrland)

This pilot project explored the use of virtual reality (VR) as a complement to real-life nature experiences, aiming to help participants maintain healthy lifestyle changes and recover from stress.

The study was conducted at Lifestyle Medicine Österåsen, located near Sollefteå in northern Sweden. The clinic offers evidence-based lifestyle treatments delivered by a multidisciplinary team. In addition to the standard care, participants in this study took part in a nature-based intervention three times a week during a three-week stay at Österåsen. Each session involved spending one hour in a self-chosen spot in the surrounding forest.

After the residential program, participants were given a VR headset loaded with calming nature films to use at home for six months, until their next follow-up visit. They were encouraged to watch the nature films for about 30 minutes, three times per week.

Following the conclusion of the study, certain VR films will be made available to public and private organizations for use within their respective areas.

Participant Group

• Individuals living with diabetes mellitus

Equipment/ Intervention metod

• VR-headset
• IRL (in real-Life)- Nature Interventions included

Measurements

• Quantitative Psycological assessment Measures
  • Mood assessment
  • RAND-36: Health-related quality of life
  • DES-SF-10: Scale for perceived support and self-care capacity related to diabetes
  • PSQ-14: Scale for perceived stress
    
    
• Quantitative Clinical Measures 
  • Heart rate variability
  • Medication usage
  • HbA1c (blood sugar levels)
  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
    
    
• Qualitative Psycological assessment Measures

Individual interviews