Study: Nature and Culture as Health Factors – Participants Wanted!

The Paracelsus Medical University and the University Hospital Salzburg, Department for Internal Medicine I are inviting participants to take part in the second phase of their study, starting in March. They are looking for individuals aged 40 to 65 with risk factors such as high blood pressure, excess weight, and lipid metabolism disorders. Participants will join a 10-week nature-based exercise program consisting of light hikes and mindfulness training at the Salzburg Open-Air Museum and in the Salzburg city mountains.

“Both locations are ideal intervention sites for the PMU's clinical study NATURE-MET-SALZBURG,” says Univ.-Prof. Arnulf Hartl, study director and head of the Institute for Eco-Medicine at Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, who developed this program together with his team. A total of 140 individuals with metabolic syndrome (ages 40–65) will take part in the project. Participants will be divided into an intervention group ("nature group") and a control group, with assessments conducted at four different points throughout the study. After completing all assessments, participants will have free access to the nature-based therapy. As a token of appreciation, they will receive a season pass for the 2025 season at the Salzburg Open-Air Museum and a €100 drugstore gift voucher.
For more information and to register, visit: https://bit.ly/pmu300125.

The study will investigate whether a nature-based therapy can enhance the health and quality of life of individuals with specific risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases, collectively known as metabolic syndrome (MetS). This syndrome is characterized by a combination of high blood pressure, excess weight, and glucose and lipid metabolism disorders. The first phase of the clinical study, conducted in autumn 2024, was a success, with participants reporting improved fitness, performance, and overall well-being. Many highlighted that guided mindfulness training helped them incorporate health-promoting physical activity in nature into their daily routines. Key partners, including Salzburger Naturfreunde, the City of Salzburg, and the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), will continue to support this EU-funded project (EU Horizon RESONATE) in its second phase.

Parallel studies are being conducted in Barcelona and Padua to compare the effects of different natural environments. While Salzburg focuses on its alpine city mountains and open-air museum, Padua will study the impact of urban parks, and Barcelona will examine the effects of coastal urban areas.