Brief Health Promotion Intervention for Older People in Mental Health

Feasibility Study to Test the Implementation of Health Promotion Advice (Exercise and Protein Intake) for Older People Attending a Community Mental Health Service.

The goal of this observational study is to test the delivery of brief health promotion advice with supporting information leaflets as part of standard clinical consultation for older people attending a community mental health service

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Is a brief health promotion intervention designed for primary care transferable and acceptable to older people attending acute community-based mental health services (Travers et al 2022)
2. Can older adults with ongoing mental health conditions be recruited and retained in the study
3. Will participants adhere to the health promotion intervention over a three-month period
4. Can evaluation data be collected from participants

Eligible participants will be asked to:

• participate in a brief health promotion (10 minutes) advice given by an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) in mental health during a routine outpatient clinic/home visit
• participants receive exercise and protein advice leaflets (laminated)
• participants rehearse the exercise with the ANP
• one-month follow-up by ANP to assess and promote adherence to the intervention Researchers will use a one-group pre-post test study to compare baseline data on physical and mental health outcomes to participants' outcomes at three-month follow-up (there is no control group).

Target Population

The target population is older adults attending mental health services aged 65 years and older. Age 65 years is the age for referral to older adult mental health services. The Older adult mental health services provide care and treatment for people aged over 65's who develop new onset functional mental illnesses such as depression, and severe anxiety or those with a diagnosis of dementia with behavioural and psychological problems requiring specialist intervention and care.

In the feasibility study Sample size, the aim is to recruit 15-20 patients to test the feasibility of the intervention in this population.

Study Design

The study will be a one-group pretest -posttest intervention design with a patient survey at baseline, 1-month and 3-month follow-up. The project will be undertaken over 12 months. Once ethical approval is obtained, patient recruitment and baseline data will be collected and the intervention will be delivered: in March - June 2023, 1 month follow-up April to July and three month follow-up August to October 2023.

Data Collection The ANP will complete the structured questionnaire with the patient in the MH clinic or patient home during routine clinical consultations. The one-month and three month follow-up will be via telephone or in the OPD clinic/persons' home as part of normal schedule of visits. No extra clinic or home visits are planned as part of the study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• For the purpose of this study service users eligible for the study are:

  1. Aged 65 years and older

  2. Cognitive capacity to provide informed consent

  3. Attending Older adult mental health services

  4. Mental Health team deem the client stable and able to participate in the intervention

  5. Patient independently mobile and living in the community (may use a walk aid)(Clinical Frailty Scale ≤5)

     Exclusion Criteria: