Mental Health
Conditions
Keywords
Exercise, Physical activity, Anxiety, Psychological distress, Depression, University student
Brief summary
In autumn 2024, York St John University launched a physical activity programme for university students facing mental health challenges. The purpose of this project is to conduct a mixed-methods evaluative study of this new service over a 6-month period. It is anticipated that 20-40 students will be recruited to the study, which will assess the following: assess the following: feasibility, the extent to which the service can be delivered successfully; acceptability, the extent to which the service is considered appropriate, satisfactory, or attractive by programme recipients and intervention delivery staff; fidelity, the extent to which the key service components (e.g., assessment procedures, physical activity programme) were implemented as planned and adaptations were made; preliminary effects, with relation to physical, mental and social health outcomes.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPhysical activity programme
The physical activity programme will have the following features: * 6-week programme * 1-2 supervised physical activity sessions per week * 60 minutes per session, including a mixture of physical activities (e.g. walking, other aerobic physical activity, resistance, balance and stretching exercises) * Self-selected physical activity intensity * Group-based (maximum of 10 students per session) * Sessions supervised by a qualified exercise instructor. A member of the University's Wellbeing team will also be present to offer students mental health support, if needed. * Physical activity behavioral strategies incorporated into the 6-week programme (e.g., goal setting, action planning, exploring barriers and enablers, setting cues or prompts for self-directed PA) * Encouragement to be physically active away from the supervised sessions
Sponsors
York St John University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Student enrolled at York St John University * Age 18 years and over * Undertaking a course which requires attendance at York St John University's Lord Mayor's Walk Campus * Presenting to the student wellbeing team with mild-to-moderate mental health concerns (defined as experiencing symptoms of poor mental health such as feeling depressed or socially isolated, prolonged stress and anxiety, or experiencing academic decline that makes their daily life more difficult but maintain daily functioning) and expressing an interest in enhancing their mental health and daily functioning
Exclusion criteria
* Unwilling or unable to provide written informed consent * Unable to attend (or to participate in) the scheduled physical activity sessions * Unsuccessful physical activity clearance using the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q+)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rate of recruitment | Over the course of the 6-month enrollment period | The average number of participants recruited per month |
| Rate of retention | From enrollment to the end of intervention at 6 weeks | The proportion of participants who complete the study |
| Rate of attendance | From enrollment to the end of intervention at 6 weeks | Median number of supervised physical activity sessions attended amongst all participants |
| Acceptability of the service | At the 6-week follow-up assessment | The extent to which the service is considered appropriate, satisfactory, or attractive by programme recipients and intervention delivery staff. Assessed primarily via one-to-one interviews and an exit survey. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mean time per day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity | Assessed at baseline and at the 6-week follow-up | Assessed using an Axivity AX6 wrist-worn accelerometer worn continuously for 7 days at each study timepoint |
| 10-item Recovering Quality of Life (ReQoL) questionnaire | Assessed at baseline and at the 6-week follow-up | The minimum index score for ReQoL-10 is 0 and the maximum is 40, where 0 indicates poorest quality of life and 40 indicates highest quality of life. |
| 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) | Assessed at baseline and at the 6-week follow-up | The total score ranges from 0 to 27 with higher scores indicating more severe depression. |
| Estimated maximal oxygen uptake (YMCA submaximal cycle test) | Assessed before and after the 6-week intervention period | — |
| Resting blood pressure (automated) | Assessed before and after the 6-week intervention period | — |
| Adverse events | From enrollment to the end of the exit assessment after the end of the 6-week intervention period | — |
| 38-item Mental Health Inventory (MHI-38) | Assessed at baseline and at the 6-week follow-up | All the MHI items are scored on a six-point scale (1-6) except for items 9 and 28, which are scored on a five-point scale (1-5). The raw score range is 38-226, with higher scores on the Mental Health Index indicating less psychological distress and greater psychological well-being. |
| Grip strength (Jamar handgrip dynamometer) | Assessed before and after the 6-week intervention period | — |
| Lower-limb muscular strength/endurance (30-s sit-to-stand test) | Assessed before and after the 6-week intervention period | — |
| Fidelity | From enrollment to the end of intervention at 6 weeks | The extent to which the key service components (e.g., assessment procedures, physical activity programme) were implemented as planned and adaptations were made. Assessed primarily via session record data and post-intervention interviews with participants and service delivery staff. |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed