Occupational Therapy News OTnews October 2019 | Page 43

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FEATURE
I
t’s 10am on a Friday morning and everyone is ready and eager
to run. No matter the weather – wind, hail or shine – they all
have smiles on their faces.
Starting with a five-minute dynamic warm up, we chat
about our week and the session plan. We then commence the
plan and the participants encourage each other to complete the
session, prior to completing the cool down.
Then we head over to the local café for refreshments and
discuss the session and our plans for the week ahead; a few of
the participants make arrangements to meet separately for a walk
or run at the weekend.
Jog-on, an occupational therapy led running group, was fuelled
by my passion for running and the associated benefits it has on an
individual’s physical and mental health.
I work within a community mental health team (CMHT). I am
also a runner; I have run for many years at a recreational level and
reap both the physical and mental health benefits of engaging in
this type of exercise. This location allows members with a range of abilities, from
beginners to accomplished participants, to be incorporated within
the same group.
I currently facilitate the group with the help of an occupational
therapy assistant practitioner, who has also recently qualified as a
Jog Scotland leader. In addition, a colleague who is an occupational
therapist within our team has also qualified as a leader in order to
support the smooth running of the group going forward.
The main group outcomes are to:
• support participants to overcome barriers to engaging in
physical activity;
• increase social interaction skills;
• increase confidence, motivation and self-esteem;
• have a positive impact on both mental health and physical
health;
• support individual occupational performance goals; and
• help people to feel confident to engage in community physical
activity groups.
I am trained as a Jog Scotland coach and had often thought
that I could use this skill within my role as an occupational
therapist.
Many of the clients that I see do not take part in any form of
physical activity. For the clients whom it is deemed appropriate,
and who agree to its inclusion in their care plan as part of a
structured approach to support positive mental health, they report
that they feel better, have more energy and sleep better following
periods of being active.
A framework published by the Scottish Government (2017)
highlights that allied health professionals should be encouraging
and providing opportunities for people with mental health
conditions to participate in exercise-based activity for support with
improving wellbeing.
The group is based on the fact that participating in physical
activity has a positive impact on both mental health and physical
health. Physical activity has been shown to have positive effects
on emotions, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, sleep, appetite,
cognitive function and can provide a sense of wellbeing (Scottish
Government 2010). The group is aimed at participants within the CMHT who wish
to take part in a physical activity intervention as part of their mental
health recovery, and that are able to walk for a period of 30 minutes.
Referrals are welcomed from all disciplines within the team,
including occupational therapists, nurses, psychologists and
psychiatrists. So far we have not exceeded six participants per
group.
We support continued participation in jogging activity by
encouraging participants to attend their local jogging group
following completion of the programme.
The last group that ended can be used as a prime example of this.
An element of this group involved a two-week ‘transitioning period’,
whereby I supported the willing participants to join a community Jog
Scotland group, in order to ensure a smooth transition.
In relation to these clients I successfully gained funding to
cover the expenses related to the participants’ first two months
of membership of the local group. Now, six months on, all
four participants are still attending their local jogging group,
progressing well, and most importantly, state that they are
enjoying it.
Development of the group A positive effect
After a discussion with my manager and the development of a
protocol and risk assessment we were ready to go with the Jog-
On group.
Following much deliberation on the length of the group, I
decided to implement it for a 14-week period, after reviewing
research on habit formation and considering the amount of time
that an activity is conducted before it becomes second nature
(Lally et al 2009).
We follow the Jog Scotland programmes and add in a variety
of sessions, including hill repetitions and effort sessions. We
meet within a park environment that provides the flexibility to
adapt the programme week by week to suit the needs of each
individual.
Since the inaugural group, which started in October 2017, we
have had a further three groups, running two a year. Just over 20
individuals have engaged with these groups so far, and the results
have been positive.
We have a very low drop-out rate, with most participants
completing the programme. One of the group members continues
to attend our client-led group in the capacity of a mentor. This is
supporting him to further develop his core skills in communication,
problem solving and working with others, in order to increase
his confidence and self-esteem in preparation for seeking and
sustaining employment.
Prior to the group, each participant completes a PHQ-9 and
Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and following the group they
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