Assessing measures of physical activity and sleep in schizophrenia v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing measures of physical activity and sleep in schizophrenia
IRAS ID
222537
Contact name
Alexandra Berry
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Most living things have their own “body clock” or “circadian rhythms”. These are 24-hour cycles linked to the day and night times. Circadian rhythms allow the body to regulate important processes such as sleep. Upsetting these rhythms can cause health problems, for example heart disease. \nPeople with schizophrenia and related psychotic illnesses have poor physical health and are at an increased risk of developing long-term physical health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. While this may be due to unhealthy lifestyles, such as lack of physical activity, circadian rhythm problems may also play a part. It is therefore important to be able to measure physical activity and sleep patterns in schizophrenia. This study aims to compare three methods of doing this:\n1.\tActiGraph accelerometer devices are accurate for measuring sleep and physical activity in healthy adults. They are usually worn for about a week on the waist or wrist and work by sensing body movement. We aim to assess whether it is feasible and acceptable for people with schizophrenia to use these. \n2.\tAlongside this, participants will be provided with a mobile phone so that they can access the app ‘SleepBot’. This app will record movement and sounds made during sleep to assess patterns. The phone will automatically track physical activity with its inbuilt accelerometer, which can be viewed through the ‘Google Fit’ app. We will compare the measurements made on these apps with the ActiGraph accelerometer data to see how accurate they are.\n3.\tWe will also test the feasibility, acceptability and accuracy of a new questionnaire for assessing physical activity in this group by comparing it to the accelerometer and app data. The Simple Physical Activity Questionnaire (SIMPAQ) aims to assess physical activity in people with mental illness through an interview between the researcher and patient.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0368
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion