People with severe mental illness (SMI) engage in less physical activity (PA) and more sedentary behaviour (SB) than the general population, contributing to poorer physical health outcomes in this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a multi-component behaviour change intervention called Walking fOR Health (WORtH), delivered by community mental health teams, aimed at increasing PA and reducing SB compared with a one-off education session in people with SMI.

Feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Study recruitment and intervention delivery took place within four community mental health teams in the UK and Ireland.

Eligible participants had a diagnosis of a SMI and no contraindications to participating in physical activity. Fifty-four participants (25 male, 29 female; mean age 51.6 years) were recruited.

Participants were randomised to the 13-week WORtH intervention, comprising education, activity tracking and health coaching or an education-only control.

Feasibility outcomes included recruitment, retention, adherence and acceptability. Clinical outcomes included device-measured (Axivity AX3) and self-reported PA and SB, body anthropometry, physical function and mental well-being.

This feasibility study met 90% target recruitment and 94% of participants provided follow-up data. Adherence to allocated intervention and engagement with all core intervention components was >80%. Qualitative feedback indicated high levels of satisfaction. Valid device-measured moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA), the intended primary outcome for a definitive trial, was obtained from 90% of participants at baseline and 75% of participants at post-intervention. Point estimates indicated a mean increase of 8.6 min/day of MVPA in the intervention group (baseline 54.7 min/day (95% CI 39.5 to 70.0); follow-up 63.3 min/day (95% CI 50.1 to 76.4)) and of 1.0 min/day in the control group (baseline 42.1 min/day (95% CI 24.6 to 59.6); follow-up 43.1 min/day (95% CI 29.6 to 56.5)).

The results of this study support the feasibility of the WORtH intervention in adults with SMI, and findings will be used to optimise the design of a definitive RCT.

NCT04134871.

Yoga has been shown to improve pain and function compared with no exercise in people with chronic low back pain (LBP), but treatment effects are small. Given that yoga is a mind–body intervention that addresses physical as well as psychological factors, it may be more effective for patients with chronic LBP who are at high risk of poor prognosis. The study aims to investigate the efficacy of a 12-week yoga programme combined with education in reducing pain and disability for individuals with chronic LBP at high risk of poor prognosis at short (12 weeks) and intermediate (24 weeks) terms, compared with a control group receiving education only.

A randomised controlled trial will include 110 adults with chronic non-specific LBP reporting an average pain intensity of 3 points or more on a 0–10 scale over the past week and classified as high risk of poor prognosis (ie, scoring 50 points or above) on the Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire short-form. Participants in the control group will receive an educational booklet and attend three face-to-face lectures over a 3-month period. In the intervention group, in addition to the booklet and lectures, participants will attend group yoga sessions twice a week for 12 weeks, totalling 24 yoga sessions. The primary outcome is disability assessed at 12 weeks, measured using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire.

The study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Protocol number CAAE: 57028022.0.0000.5149). Findings will be disseminated to trial participants, clinicians and the broader public and scientific community.

NCT05953155.

The primary objective was to determine whether a behaviour change intervention delivered to hospital staff would (1) improve the proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) babies being registered and (2) reduce hospital admissions and emergency presentations for babies

Quasi-experimental design and cohort study.

Five tertiary birthing hospitals in WA.

The intervention was delivered to health service providers who were in the five tertiary birthing hospitals. Outcome data were collected on Aboriginal babies born between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2018 who were delivered within these hospitals. Babies in the control group (n=226) were born 6 months before the intervention and intervention babies (n=232) were born 6 months following the intervention. For the secondary objective, there were 4573 babies included in the analysis.

A behaviour change intervention delivered to hospital staff in five hospitals.

The primary outcomes were the proportion of babies who were registered and whether a baby had been admitted to hospital or an emergency department by 3 and 6 months old. The secondary outcome was to determine factors that might influence the proportion of registered Aboriginal births in WA (cohort study).

There was evidence of a 38% reduction in emergency presentations within 6 months for babies born to hospitals 6 months following the staff training (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.91), and little evidence of improvements in birth registrations, hospital admissions within 3 or 6 months of birth or emergency department presentations within 3 months of birth. Of the 4573 babies included in the cohort study, 3769 (82.4%) babies had their births registered and 804 (17.6%) babies did not. Factors that were associated with not having a birth registered included low birth weight babies with a 34% decrease in odds of having a registered birth compared with those with a normal birth weight (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.66, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.86). Timing of first antenatal visit was associated with reduced odds of having a birth registered if this occurred in the second (aOR 0.77, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.93) or third trimester (aOR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.77) compared with the first trimester.

Our study identifies the complexities surrounding birth registrations and improved hospital utilisation for Aboriginal babies, the importance of targeted interventions and ongoing efforts needed to address this issue comprehensively.

ACTRN12615000976583.