A 12-week Feasibility Trial of a Mental Health Breakfast Show Wakey

NCT ID: NCT04287296

Last Updated: 2021-02-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 3993 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-01-20
• Study Completion Date: 2020-05-21

Brief Summary

The aim of Wakey! is to increase access to wellbeing support to lower socio-economic groups who have traditionally been excluded from the design and evaluation of digital mental health interventions. This feasibility study is designed to explore engagement, initial efficacy and experience of using Wakey! in the underserved populations in the United Kingdom. This will be used to further adapt and refine the intervention, so it is appealing and effective in the target populations.

Detailed Description

Mental health conditions are a considerable burden for patients and health services and have been shown to have social patterning in severity and incidence. Children and adults living in the lowest 20% income bracket are two to three times more likely to develop a mental health condition than those people living in the top 20% bracket. Unemployment, working in jobs with low pay and insecure work have been found to be detrimental to mental health. Mental health services are struggling to cope with demands on services, and unequal access to support is further exacerbating health inequalities.

Digital interventions have been proposed as a solution to address the high demand for mental health support in the context of the crisis in healthcare services. These interventions provide the potential to reduce health disparities, by providing personalised low-cost infinitely reusable resource that can increase access to health interventions. However, these interventions may increase inequity, where access and usability for disadvantaged groups remain barriers. To ensure health inequalities are not further exacerbated, there is a need to develop digital interventions that are appealing and accessible those from lower socioeconomic groups. These are social groups that currently look to entertainment to regulate difficult emotions and for education.

An initial pilot of the 9-minute show was trialled in the United Kingdom with a lower socio-economic group and was well received. The app was advertised through the companies that partner with Lost In TV Audience Services, who has a database of 450,000 people. In the initial pilot 43,000 people opened the email about the app. The live morning breakfast show that ran for two weeks was used by 450 participants. The findings were that 50% watched all 10 shows, 65% said that would download the app "today", 70% said it was easier to get out of bed, 53% saw an increase in life satisfaction, and 67% reported an increase in self-efficacy.

The primary objectives of the feasibility study are:

• To assess how many people download the app in the target population
• To assess participant's engagement with the app over the 12-week trial period

The secondary objectives are:

• To explore efficacy data on Office for National Statistics well-being outcomes, sleep and self-efficacy outcomes and to see if there are any changes throughout the trial
• To explore, quantitatively and qualitatively, participants' experiences of using Wakey!

Conditions

Mental Wellbeing

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

App users

The app users who are at least 18 years old.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Wakey!

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Everyone who has downloaded the app will receive a 9-minute morning show as an alternative to an alarm clock every Mon-Fri for 12 weeks. The show is presented by a cast of presenters who appeal to the target demographic. The intervention content is theory and evidence led, drawing on approaches from cognitive and third-wave psychotherapies, positive psychology interventions (such as those based on resilience training and growth mindset), and lifestyle mental health interventions. Additional content will be provided on the app to support the theory and techniques that are covered in the show. Fun content will also be posted in an ad-hoc manner that complement the shows or relate to cultural dates and aim to increase engagement. Wakey! will avoid any polarising topics such as politics, religion and folk science. There are several features beside the show itself: a moderated live chat between 6-9AM, feedback for users (e.g. how many days they have seen the show, current energy levels).

Interventions

Wakey!

Everyone who has downloaded the app will receive a 9-minute morning show as an alternative to an alarm clock every Mon-Fri for 12 weeks. The show is presented by a cast of presenters who appeal to the target demographic. The intervention content is theory and evidence led, drawing on approaches from cognitive and third-wave psychotherapies, positive psychology interventions (such as those based on resilience training and growth mindset), and lifestyle mental health interventions. Additional content will be provided on the app to support the theory and techniques that are covered in the show. Fun content will also be posted in an ad-hoc manner that complement the shows or relate to cultural dates and aim to increase engagement. Wakey! will avoid any polarising topics such as politics, religion and folk science. There are several features beside the show itself: a moderated live chat between 6-9AM, feedback for users (e.g. how many days they have seen the show, current energy levels).

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• App users who are at least 18 years old.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Guy's and St. Thomas' Charity

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Method X Studios Ltd

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

Method X Studios

Sheffield, , United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

References

Oeren M, Jordan I, Coughlin D, Turnbull S. Improving Access to Behavioral Strategies to Improve Mental Well-being With an Entertaining Breakfast Show App: Feasibility Evaluation Study. JMIR Form Res. 2022 Mar 23;6(3):e25715. doi: 10.2196/25715.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 35319468 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Wakey

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id