Health behaviour change in people with SMI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the mechanisms behind how health behaviours are supported and changed within an integrated healthcare context for people with severe mental illness (SMI)
IRAS ID
246924
Contact name
Kate Walters
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2019/04/82, UCL research registration number
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
People with severe mental illness (SMI) including psychosis, schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder, die early compared to due to health problems including cardiovascular disease (CVD). One of the main reasons for health problems in people with SMI are poorer health behaviours including smoking, excessive alcohol use, lack of exercise and poor diet. The NHS plans to combine both mental and physical health services (‘integrated healthcare’) for people with SMI so that their health needs are better met. This plan includes introducing more health behavior interventions to help with smoking, exercise, diet and alcohol use. It is currently unknown how this is currently supported in integrated settings.
The aim of the study is to understand how health behavior changes are supported and changed within the Integrated Practice Unit for Psychosis (IPU) in Camden and Islington. This will help inform how health behavior change should be supported within integrated healthcare settings for people with SMI.
We plan to include both IPU staff (healthcare professionals, peer support workers, management) and service users with SMI currently accessing or have previously accessed the IPU in the study. Interviews will be conducted with service users. Focus groups and/or interviews will be conducted with staff from the IPU. Interviews and focus groups will cover: perceptions of health and health behaviour change, what impact the ‘integration’ between mental and physical health services has on health behaviours, what helps or prevents health behaviour changes, what approaches are used to support health behaviours and training needs to support health behaviours. We plan to interview up to 20 service users and 15-20 staff in the IPU.
REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1233
Date of REC Opinion
9 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion