Key result
The 12-week headspace Active exercise program was feasible and highly acceptable among youth with at-risk mental states, with a 77% completion rate and a mean acceptability score of 41.2/50.
Why the study?
Youth with at-risk mental states have low physical activity and increased cardiometabolic disease risk, but whether physical activity interventions are feasible and acceptable in this group is unclear.
Is a 12-week exercise physiologist-led physical activity program feasible and acceptable in youth with at-risk mental states?
Is a 12-week exercise physiologist-led physical activity program feasible and acceptable in youth with at-risk mental states?
A 12-week exercise physiologist-led physical activity program is feasible, acceptable, and associated with improved physical and mental health outcomes in youth with at-risk mental states.
May support larger trials in at-risk youth; leaves open efficacy on mental health outcomes.
INTRODUCTION: Youth with at-risk mental states (ARMS) have low levels of physical activity (PA), reduced fitness levels and experience poor sleep quality. These lifestyle factors exacerbate mental health symptoms and increase cardiometabolic disease risk. PA interventions can help prevent this decline in physical health whilst reducing mental health symptom severity. Whether PA interventions are feasible and acceptable amongst youth with ARMS is unclear. METHODS: This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of headspace Active, a pragmatic PA program offered to 14 to 25 year olds with ARMS. The 12-week exercise physiologist-led intervention was conducted in adjunct to usual care. Feasibility was determined by number of referrals, attendance, engagement in exercise sessions and dropout from the intervention. Acceptability was assessed by a 10-item questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included anthropometry, cardiorespiratory fitness and strength. Subjective PA levels, symptoms of depression and anxiety, sleep, motivation and quality of life were also assessed. RESULTS: Within 12 months, 77% of referrals completed the 12-week intervention (n = 20), with six dropouts. Of the 20 "completers", 95% attended at least five sessions over the 12-week intervention. Participants found the program highly acceptable (mean = 41.2/50 on the 10-item acceptability questionnaire) and experienced significant improvements in PA, strength, motivation, depressive symptoms and sleep quality post-intervention. No changes in anthropometry were observed. CONCLUSION: Results suggest headspace Active was feasible and acceptable and was associated with improvements in physical and mental health outcomes among ARMS youth. Given the potential scalability of this real-world PA program to other youth mental health settings, these data have implications for best practice implementation of PA interventions for individuals with emerging mental illness.
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Lederman et al. (2019) studied At-risk mental states (ARMS) (n=26). headspace Active (exercise program) was evaluated on Feasibility (completion rate) and acceptability. The 12-week headspace Active exercise program was feasible and highly acceptable among youth with at-risk mental states, with a 77% completion rate and a mean acceptability score of 41.2/50.
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