Written by A
Today brought a smile to my face with some fantastic news about our project’s progression. The public health segment also piqued my interest!
Recruitment Progress
It was uplifting to hear that one of our groups has successfully completed their sessions and Time 1 measures. New groups are now in the process of commencing and it feels like we are finally making progress in recruitment and delivering our therapy sessions. This momentum is encouraging and reinforces our commitment to the project.
Updates from February
In February, the YWAG Process Evaluation subgroup convened to review focus group questions, which have since been updated based on the feedback received. The subgroup meeting points were briefly shared with the rest of the public advisory group.
Additionally, the research team have prepared participant information sheets and consent forms for the focus groups, which will be shared for feedback in our next meeting.A second Trial Steering Committee (TSC) meeting in February was also held, where two YWAG representatives were present. The primary focus was on recruitment, and I’m pleased to report that the extension of the recruitment period to June 2025 was approved.
Public Health
During this meeting, we were joined by Professor Andy Jones (AJ), who delivered an engaging Public Health presentation. AJ discussed strategies to reduce mortality from lung disease and obesity-related diseases, emphasising the importance of prevention. He posed thought-provoking questions regarding public health entwining with mental health support and prevention, which led to insightful suggestions for better clinician understanding of community backgrounds, inclusive activities and early intervention.
One particularly striking point raised was the question: “What might we do if we want fewer people to die from lung disease?”, to which the group shared their ideas. It was eye-opening to learn that while treatment has contributed to a 20% reduction in prevalent diseases, a staggering 80% of the reduction is attributed to other factors. I grew up being taught ‘Prevention is better than cure,’ and ‘Better to be safe than sorry,’ but the difference in percentages really highlighted the critical role of prevention over cure! We recognised that the social and environmental contexts of individuals and families significantly influence health, underscoring the need for a holistic approach to public health. This was further emphasised when we analysed the image (LHS) to see what public health issues can be identified in this living condition.
Publication Plans
Looking ahead, we are excited to draft a public involvement paper for an academic journal that will highlight the contributions of individuals with lived experience in our study. We plan to involve 2-3 group members as co-authors and further discussions will be had in future meetings. The evaluation data will encompass feedback from YWAG members and researchers, as well as insights from focus groups. Members were reminded and encouraged to document their personal reflections throughout the project, which will enrich our collective understanding. Farzana suggested that the Gibbs reflective cycle may help with this.
To end off with some final points
An in-person meeting is scheduled for July, giving the group an opportunity to connect face-to-face.The group have shown appreciation for the project updates and opportunities to contribute. However, there was a suggestion for an earlier meeting time – which has been taken onboard.
Other than the meeting, I’ve also started talking about the research project to fellow peers and strangers! I’ve become comfortable… to an extent, to talk about it. As Farzana put it in the last blog post, ‘There’s a real appetite for these conversations. They weren’t always easy, but they were necessary. And sometimes, just sitting with someone over a cup of tea and talking about what’s hard, that’s where real change begins.’
I smile, as a I finish my final draft of this blog. I smile, at the progress and the collaborative spirit of our team. Together, we are taking steps towards meaningful change in mental health.
