Pilot study of client outcomes from exercise physiology in a youth mental health service

Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the utilisation and experience of an exercise physiology programme, known as Bod Squad at a youth mental health service. Individual sessions were offered in an outpatient setting, while both group and individual sessions occurred in an inpatient unit. This pilot study used a mixed methodology to collect data from young people who attended Bod Squad. A database of exercise physiology records for 47 young people were analysed for attendance and physiological indicators. In addition, 7 semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people to explore their experience of Bod Squad. Young people attended a total of 169 sessions during the programmes tenure, with an overall mean of 3.6 sessions. Pre-post measures for 10 young people (who had attended at least 4 sessions) showed modest average reductions for body mass index, waist circumference, chest circumference and resting heart rate. Five themes emerged from the interviews-(1) My reasons for attending, (2) The social aspect, (3) An individualized approach, (4) Outcomes from Bod Squad and (5) My experience of the service. All of these themes included positive experiences of Bod Squad, which young people perceived as relevant to their needs and helpful to their recovery. These findings are congruent with previous studies that have concluded that exercise physiology may be an effective, acceptable and valued intervention for addressing physical and metabolic health issues for young people.

Physical health interventions on adolescent mental health inpatient units: A systematic review and call to action

“…Gender differences were only reported in one study, with females engaging in more minutes of yoga on average per week than males (McIlvain et al, 2015). Attendance at 'Bod Squad' sessions also varied with half of the sample attending on a weekly or more regular basis and others attending less frequently (Woodhead et al, 2018). This related to the observation that young people either engaged well with the intervention or they only attended a few sessions.…”

“…The clinical setting varied, however, all individuals were receiving inpatient treatment for a diagnosed mental health condition. This included a specialized early intervention service providing inpatient treatment and crisis care (Woodhead et al, 2018), tertiary mental health facilities for young people with a severe psychiatric disorder (Bobier et al, 2009) and a locked residential unit for young people requiring inpatient therapeutic care (Public Health England, 2018).…”

“…Services accepted individuals aged 15 to 25 (Woodhead et al, 2018), 16 to 18 years (Bobier et al, 2009) and 13 to 18 years (McIlvain et al, 2015).…”

“…None of the studies had a control group, and all were made available to all of the individuals within the service. Two studies looked at physical health interventions, which were integrated as part of usual routine activities (Bobier et al, 2009;McIlvain et al, 2015), whereas one reported a new pilot intervention to be offered within the service as an adjunct to usual care (Woodhead et al, 2018). The content of the interventions varied (see Table 2).…”

“…Physical health measurements improved in relation to the 'Bod Squad' intervention (Woodhead et al, 2018). Body mass index (BMI) and waist, hip and chest circumference all decreased after the intervention.…”