Increasing Physical Activity in a Medium Secure Service (IMPACT)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Increasing Physical Activity in a Medium Secure Service: The Development and Feasibility of a Physical ACTivity Intervention (IMPACT)

• IRAS ID

  297420

• Contact name

  Tammi Walker

• Contact email

  t.walker@tees.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Teesside University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  Many people become overweight due to the effects of poor diet, and less active lifestyles. Being obese can affect people’s heath and lead to type 2 diabetes and heart problems. People with severe mental health problems find it more difficult to live healthy lifestyles. They have a shorter life span by about 10-20 years and obesity rates up to four times higher than the general population.

  Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is more difficult for people in medium secure mental health units. This type of
  service provides care and treatment to adults with severe mental health problems, who present a serious risk of
  harm to others and to themselves, and who are prevented leaving hospital. Service users in such units have often
  experienced chaotic lifestyles; problematic relationships, employment and substance use issues.

  A recent audit of 83 service users in such a unit found only 18 had lost or maintained their admission weight whilst the remaining 65 had increased their weight since admission. This study will work with service users and professionals in two NHS medium secure units to design and evaluate a way of improving the levels of physical
  activity for service users.

  What we will do:
  1. Design a questionnaire for service users to understand what helps or hinders their participation in physical
  activities.
  2. Explore with staff and service users in a discussion group what strategies may improve engagement, maintain commitment, avoid drop-out and overcome barriers to being physically active.
  3. Hold a service user and staff discussion group to develop a physical activity intervention based on evidence from parts 1 and 2.
  4. Evaluate the intervention for 3 months by collecting information about service-users’ participation, body weight, physical activity, mood, mental well-being and motivation. We will also try to interview all service users who take part in the intervention and some staff

• REC name

  North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  21/NE/0080

• Date of REC Opinion

  30 Apr 2021

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion