BODY & Mind

This is the first study in the UK to investigate the effectiveness of Behavioural Activation in young people experiencing obesity and mental ill health.

The primary aim of the project is to provide a feasibility study of the effectiveness of a brief intervention (behavioural activation) in obese and depressed youth. This aim will be achieved through a number of objectives.

The first objective will be to adapt behavioural activation materials for work with young people with obesity and depression. This will be done through consultation with young service users, through organisations such as “Young Minds”, and school nurses.

The second objective will be to recruit participants to the intervention and to record the changes in measures of obesity and depression. Participants will be recruited from schools via a screening procedure. A graduate therapist will be responsible for administering the intervention.

The final objective will be to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention through quantitative statistical analyses and also more qualitative work from interviews with participants and those delivering the intervention.

This work will them be disseminated to academic and health professionals and also to the general public.

The project will be led by Durham University, with support from Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Trust.

To find out more about Durham University, please visit: http://www.dur.ac.uk/