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Outdoor Exercise Program for Mental Illness (PARCS Trial)

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Gina M Besenyi, MPH, PhD

Research Sponsored by Kansas State University

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be older than 18 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up after completion of all waves of the study (approximately 2 years)

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trialwill test if an outdoor exercise program can help people with mental illness.

Who is the study for?

The PARCS study is for adults with serious mental illness who are part of a community mental health center's peer support program and have been medically cleared to engage in physical activity. It's not suitable for those under 18 or anyone unable to get physician clearance for exercise.

What is being tested?

This study tests a park-based physical activity intervention against an active control group to see if it reduces cardiometabolic risk in adults with serious mental illness participating in peer group treatment.

What are the potential side effects?

While the trial focuses on exercise, potential side effects might include typical risks associated with physical activity such as muscle strains, joint pain, or fatigue, especially if participants are not accustomed to regular exercise.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ after completion of all waves of the study (approximately 2 years)

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~after completion of all waves of the study (approximately 2 years)

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and after completion of all waves of the study (approximately 2 years) for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Acceptability - Change in PA Enjoyment

Acceptability - PA session satisfaction

Feasibility - Attendance

Secondary study objectives

Change in Aerobic Fitness

Change in Exercise Goal Setting

Change in Self-efficacy and Intensions for Spending Time in Nature

+3 more

Other study objectives

Change in Anxiety

Change in Body Composition

Change in Depressive Symptoms

+3 more

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: InterventionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

PARCS is a park-based physical activity intervention including aerobic and resistance training adapted for adults with serious mental illness and led by certified peer counselors as part of peer group mental health recovery services.

Group II: Active ControlActive Control1 Intervention

The active control group will receive information about the importance of park-based PA and a map of local park locations but will not participate in structured park-based PA sessions. Participants in the control group will be invited to participate in park PA sessions after they have completed posttest. Participants in both groups will receive usual care outpatient peer group treatment services, including routine counseling and health and wellness information/activities given by CPSs.

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