Nature-based social prescribing intervention
This is a group-based facilitator led intervention among groups of 8-10 for 2 hours per week over 10 weeks. It combines motivational interviews addressing loneliness and then evolves with group-based sessions led in nature. It emphasizes peer support, group dynamics, building friendships and creating belonging. Over 10 weeks, our aim is to reduce loneliness. We tested this intervention using a randomized controlled trial, involving 320 individuals, working in partnership with the Catalan Health System. Patients were screened for loneliness by care professionals and then referred to the group intervention. Patients were randomized to a sign-posted nature prescription or a group-based model.
What it sets out to do
Alleviate loneliness and promote health-related quality of life among adults over 18 years of age
Who it reaches
6 Cities in Europe, Oceania and South America. Barcelona, Cuenca, Helsinki, Marseille, Melbourne and Prague
Who runs it
Research institutes in partnership with local health agencies and primary care centers
What seems to make it work
Peer support, addressing loneliness directly and indirectly, nature engagement, direct participation, promoting feelings of belonging, helping people build friendships, empowerment through group processes. Individual and group-based interventions worked. For more lonely people with lower emotional wellbeing, the group worked better
What gets in the way
Lonely people do not respond well to randomization. In the real world setting this will not be applicable. Care is needed when designing interventions so that lonely people do not feel more excluded by not receiving the treatment they expected.
How it is funded
European Commission
Moving it somewhere else
Yes! We have tested it in six global and sociodemographic contexts and all sites reduced loneliness.
The record
- Lead organisation
- Research institutes in partnership with local health agencies and primary care centers
- Target populations
- Older adults (65+), People with disabilities, Migrants and refugees, LGBTQ+ communities, People experiencing poverty
- Countries
- Spain
- Evaluation status
- Peer-reviewed evaluation
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Publication
- https://www.recetasproject.eu
- Contributed by
- Jill Litt, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
These details are reported by the member who registered the intervention.
Where this entry comes from
This description was submitted to the LONELY-EU mapping of what is being done about loneliness across Europe. It is published in the language it was written in, and reproduced as it was given to us. The contributor gave permission to be named. Recorded aim: support.
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Cite this entry
Jill Litt, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) (2026). Nature-based social prescribing intervention. LONELY-EU Intervention Registry, entry LEU-067. https://buddyboss.silc-exchange.com/interventions/nature-based-social-prescribing-intervention/
Reference LEU-067 is permanent. If the entry is corrected later, the reference stays the same.
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