Using Digital Technologies for Health Promotion in Young People with Mental Illness. (Renewal)

Individuals with mental illnesses face notable disparities in physical health, a concern that is particularly pronounced among young people. The initial phase of this fellowship provided valuable insights into how digital health technologies can be employed to mitigate these disparities, especially in the early stages of mental illness. As I advance into the next phase, the overall objective remains the same as the initial plan; examining how widely-adopted digital technologies can be used to effectively address these health disparities.

On the basis of the empirical data and real-world feedback obtained thus far, the central plan towards achieving this is to now to develop and evaluate an online lifestyle intervention, which can be delivered through video platforms (YouTube, and others) in order to improve health behaviours and outcomes in young people with mental illness, transdiagnostically. By engaging with clinicians, service users, and partners on major video platforms, the goal is to refine the delivery of an evidence-based lifestyle programme, making it accessible, engaging and specifically relevant to meet the needs of this underserved demographic.

Within this, an entire program of co-designed lifestyle content will be created - through collaborative endeavor with stakeholders from mental health services, technology and content creation sectors, along with service users and world-leading experts in lifestyle medicine. This programme is envisioned to be a readily available resource, designed to be both engaging and informative, aiding young individuals under mental health treatment in various contexts.

Furthermore, the integration of wearable and smartphone technology within lifestyle interventions for youth mental healthcare will be further explored. Establishing systems that facilitate the safe and effective use of these widely-adopted technologies, in sync with the physical healthcare and lifestyle interventions, forms a supplementary but beneficial aspect of this novel program of research.

Lastly, real-world evaluations are crucial to measure the reach and impact of the digital interventions developed. By employing a mix of tech-driven metrics, routinely collected clinical data, and direct stakeholder feedback, the aim is to gauge the effectiveness and refine these digital interventions based on real-world experiences.

Collectively, these objectives underline the endeavor to create evidence-based, bespoke physical health interventions that are not only widely available online but are also tailored to meet the specific needs and preferences of individuals with mental illnesses, particularly the youth and young adults. Through leveraging widely-adopted digital technologies, this renewed phase of research aims to take significant strides towards bridging the health disparities faced by individuals treated for mental illness, fostering a more accessible and effective landscape of physical health interventions.