The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an intervention called Nutrition and Exercise for Wellness and Recovery (NEW-R) in promoting healthy eating and increased physical activity for better weight management among psychiatric outpatients.
Weight management is a serious issue for individuals with mental health conditions, especially those who are taking psychiatric medications. The latest estimates are that over half of individuals receiving community mental health services are overweight or obese. This project's objective is to conduct a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an intervention called Nutrition and Exercise for Wellness and Recovery (NEW-R) in promoting healthy eating and increased physical activity for better weight management among psychiatric outpatients living and working in the community. It is an 8-week, recovery-oriented intervention that is co-led by a trained health educator and a certified mental health peer specialist. The study will take place at the UIC Department of Psychiatry in Chicago. Research participants will be recruited from the Department's outpatient clinics and other community programs, and randomly assigned to receive NEW-R along with services as usual or services as usual alone.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
113
Eight session class on nutrition, physical activity, diet, and weight management
Change in Perceived Competence Scale from Baseline to 8-months
Measures ability to stick with a weight management regimen and master new knowledge about diet and exercise. This 4-item scale using a 7-point Likert response format ranging from "not at all true" to "very true". The minimum value is 4 and the maximum is 28, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Time frame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 2-months later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3
Change in Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile from Baseline to 8-months
Measure of health promoting behavior. This is a 26-item scale with a 4-point Likert response format ranging from "never" to "routinely". Minimum value for this scale is 26 and the maximum is 104, with higher scores indicating a better outcome. The dimensions include nutrition, spirituality, and physical activity.
Time frame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 2-months later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3
Change in Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale from Baseline to 8-months
Self perceived health management ability. This 7-item scale uses a 5-point Likert response format ranging from "not at all" to "completely". The minimum value is 7 and the maximum is 35, with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Time frame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 2-months later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3
Change in Weight from Baseline to 8-months
Weight in pounds
Time frame: Study entry (Pre-intervention/T1), 2-months later (Post-Intervention 1/T2), & 6-months after T2 (Post-Intervention 2/T3
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