Can a 6-day guided hiking and mindfulness programme in biodiverse Alpine landscapes improve wellbeing and reduce rumination in older adults?

INTERVENTION: Participants are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention arm or the control arm. Randomization is performed by an independent biometrician using an open‐source add‐in for Microsoft Excel, with age and gender used as stratification factors and the Kullback‐Leibler divergence method used for allocation. The intervention arm receives a six‐day Nature‐Based Therapy (NbT) programme in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Lungau, Austria. NbT consists of green exercise/hiking and nature‐based mindfulness training. Participants complete guided hikes of at least 4 hours per day on alternating days in high‐ and low‐biodiversity areas; each hike covers 2–7 km with up to 500 m elevation gain, and groups include up to 16 participants accompanied by at least one trained hiking guide. During these hikes, participants receive 30–60 minutes of nature‐based mindfulness training based on concentrative movement therapy in a pre‐selected restorative and safe location. Intervention sessions are documented using the MyCap mobile application, including BIO‐WELL and the CONNATURALP Nature‐based Intervention Questionnaire. All participants are followed for 90 days with four main measurement points. At T0 (day 0), baseline assessment is performed before the intervention. In the intervention arm, this includes psychological, physiological and biological assessments at the study site, including saliva sampling; in the control arm, questionnaires and saliva samples are collected online by self‐sampling with freezing of the sample. At T1 (day 6), only the intervention arm undergoes post‐intervention assessment at the study site, with testing identical to T0. At T2 (day 30) and T3 (day 90), all participants in both arms complete online questionnaire assessments and saliva self‐sampling. CONDITION: Stress‐related conditions in older adults with elevated rumination ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Age between 60 and 75 years 2. Elevated rumination according to the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS‐10) 3. Physical ability for light hiking tours (duration 3–6 hours; elevation gain 300–600 meters/day) 4. Ability to live independently