Lifestyle Medicine for Enhancing Psychological Wellness in Police Officers

Lifestyle Medicine for Enhancing Psychological Wellness in Police Officers: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

This study will examine the feasibility and efficacy of lifestyle medicine for the enhancement of psychological wellness in police officers. The integrative lifestyle intervention is based on the "Healthy Body Healthy Mind (HBHM)" programme developed by the University of Melbourne. It includes lifestyle psychoeducation, physical activity, nutrition and diet, relaxation/ mindfulness, and sleep. These components are weaved with psychological elements such as stress management, cognitive restructuring, motivational interviewing, and goal setting strategies that are led by clinical psychologists. While lifestyle medicine has been recognised for centuries a a mean to improve physical health, the field of lifestyle medicine in the context of mental health is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence demonstrating the efficacy of individual components of lifestyle medicine (e.g. diet, physical activities, and sleep) on mood and stress management. With a well-researched lifestyle medicine programme adopted from Australia, the research team of the Chinese University of Hong Kong has customised the intervention protocol to fit the Chinese culture, and has conducted a pilot trial to test the protocol across different communities and work populations. The investigators aim to examine the effectiveness of an integration of multiple lifestyle adjustments on psychological wellness from a holistic body-mind perspective. Acknowledging that police officers are one of hte work populations with stressful work nature, it is in a hope that lifestyle medicine would be effective to facilitate stress coping and enhance the psychological wellness of police officers in the long run.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Hong Kong residents aged ≥ 18 years;
2. Cantonese language fluency;
3. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score ≥ 10; and
4. Willingness to provide informed consent and comply with the trial protocol.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy;
2. Have suicidal ideation with PHQ-9 item 9 score ≥ 2 (referral information to professional services will be provided to those who endorsed items on suicidal ideation);
3. Using medication or psychotherapy for depression;
4. Having unsafe conditions and are not recommended for exercising or a change in diet by physicians; and
5. Have major psychiatric, medical or neurocognitive disorders that make participation infeasible or interfere with the adherence to the lifestyle intervention.