Julia V Pescheny1, Laura H Gunn2,3, Yannis Pappas1, Gurch Randhawa1. 1. Institute of Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 3JU, UK. 2. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina (UNC), Charlotte 28223, NC, USA. 3. School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Social prescribing programmes expand the range of options available to primary care health professionals to address patients' psychosocial needs, impacting on their health and well-being. The objective of this study was to assess the change in the mental well-being of service users after participation in the Luton social prescribing programme. METHODS: Skew-normal (SN) regression was applied to analyse the change in mental well-being post-intervention (N = 63). The short Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale was used as the outcome measure. RESULTS: The SN regression found a statistically significant change (P < 0.0001) in the average difference score between baseline and post-intervention measures. However, the observed change does not appear to be of clinical relevance. No significant associations in mental well-being scores by gender, age or working status were found. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study indicate that social prescribing may have the potential to improve the mental well-being of service users. The study findings contribute to the sparse evidence base on social prescribing outcomes by socio-demographic characteristics of participants and highlight the importance of considering subgroup analysis in future research.
BACKGROUND: Social prescribing programmes expand the range of options available to primary care health professionals to address patients' psychosocial needs, impacting on their health and well-being. The objective of this study was to assess the change in the mental well-being of service users after participation in the Luton social prescribing programme. METHODS: Skew-normal (SN) regression was applied to analyse the change in mental well-being post-intervention (N = 63). The short Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale was used as the outcome measure. RESULTS: The SN regression found a statistically significant change (P < 0.0001) in the average difference score between baseline and post-intervention measures. However, the observed change does not appear to be of clinical relevance. No significant associations in mental well-being scores by gender, age or working status were found. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study indicate that social prescribing may have the potential to improve the mental well-being of service users. The study findings contribute to the sparse evidence base on social prescribing outcomes by socio-demographic characteristics of participants and highlight the importance of considering subgroup analysis in future research.
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