“I\u27m making a positive change in my life”: A mixed method evaluation of a well-being tertiary education unit

Issue Addressed: Mental health disorders (MHDs) are prevalent amongst university students with detrimental impacts on individual students, universities and the wider community. There is an urgent need for proactive and preventative strategies to address the mental health crisis in the university population. This study evaluated the efficacy of a 13-week unit developed to directly educate university students about ways to improve and maintain well-being. Methods: Fifty-eight university students from five disciplines participated in a 13-week elective undergraduate unit “Well-Being Fundamentals for Success” as part of their degree. The Act Belong Commit mental health promotion campaign framework formed the basis of teaching materials. Outcome well-being measures were self-assessed at weeks 1, 6 and 12 using four scales: (1) Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS); (2) Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); (3) Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and (4) Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Post-unit group interviews (n = 11) were analysed for key themes. Results: Linear mixed models demonstrated a significant improvement in BRS over the semester; well-being (WEMBS) and mindful attention (MAAS) did increase but not significantly. There was a significant increase in stress (PSS) over the semester. Key themes that emerged from the group interviews were that (1) University life contributes to well-being; (2) University life contributes to stress; (3) The well-being unit helped students see and do things differently; (4) An overall endorsement of the unit. Conclusion: University students’ resilience increased over the semester following participation in a curriculum focused on well-being which featured a combination of theoretical content and experiential workshops. So what? Incorporating mental well-being curriculum into tertiary education is proactive preventive health strategy which may assist with the increasing prevalence of MHD in Australia

I love being in the outdoors : A qualitative descriptive study of outdoor adventure education program components for adolescent wellbeing

Background: This qualitative descriptive study gauged the perceptions of adolescentfocus group participants and outdoor adventure education teachers on their preferredprogram components to improve adolescent wellbeing during a secondary schooloutdoor adventure education program. Methods: Five student focus groups (N= 29) and four key informant interviews wereconducted. Manual clustering of transcripts and template thematic analysis involvingthe development of a priori codes from interview questions resulted in an initialdeductive code frame, followed by an inductive coding process. Findings: Six themes were developed, namely perceptions of the outdoors, motivatorsfor participation, barriers to participation, stafftraits, and ideal program components.The mainfindings were that self‐efficacy, resilience, and individual empowermentopportunities were highly valued. Students also valued autonomy and independence,which presented a challenge for teachers managing the risks of their programs. Socialconnections and relationships were also held in high regard. Contribution: Whilst adrenalin‐fuelled adventurous activities such as white watercanoeing or rock climbing were popular with students and staff, the most valuedaspects of outdoor adventure education were the opportunities to develop relation-ships, build social connections, self‐efficacy, resilience, and a sense of individualempowerment. Greater access to this style of education for adolescent students fromlower socio‐economic areas would be beneficial due to the extant“opportunity gap”for this population

e-Delphi in the outdoors: Stakeholder contributions to the development of a wellbeing-focused outdoor adventure education intervention program

Issue Addressed Outdoor adventure education (OAE) (programs involving outdoor activities such as rock climbing or white-water canoeing) that participants perceive as risky, conducted in a social support setting, can be utilised by practitioners to elicit changes in educational and psychosocial outcomes to support participant adolescent wellbeing. Methods This study garnered the opinions of an expert OAE panel on the content of future programs aiming to impact adolescent wellbeing. The panel consisted of local (Western Australia, n = 7), national (Australia, n = 4), and international (Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, n = 7) experts. A two-round, mixed-methods Delphi approach was employed. Extensive formative work led to the development of a series of open-ended questions requiring qualitative responses for round one. Panellists were also asked to respond to 17 statements using Likert scales in the second round. Results After analysis, a consensus was reached for all statements, with five statements having high consensus and being considered important by panellists. Conclusions The statement ‘Equity for all participants requires flexible delivery and facilitation’ had the highest level of agreement amongst panellists. Connections, authentic experiences, and equitable experiences developed as key themes. So What? Future OAE interventions focused on wellbeing impact could use the findings of this research as a basis for program design

Life in a time of COVID: A mixed method study of the changes in lifestyle, mental and psychosocial health during and after lockdown in Western Australians

Background: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Australian government imposed multiple restrictions that impacted daily life activities and the social life. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on the community’s physical, mental and psychosocial health. Methods: Approximately 2 months after a three-month lockdown, a cross-sectional study was opened to Western Australian adults for an 8-week period (25th August – 21 October 2020). Participants competed a 25-min questionnaire adapted from the Western Australia Health and Wellbeing Surveillance system. Participants provided information on their socio-demographic status, lifestyle behaviours, mental health, and psychosocial health during and post-lockdown. Open-ended questions explored key issues in greater detail. Changes between the lockdown and post-lockdown period were assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank test and One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Normal tests as appropriate. Sex differences were examined using the Mann-Whitney U test. A content analysis approach examined responses to the open-ended questions with frequencies and variations in responses determined using Chi-Square tests. Results: A total of 547 complete responses were obtained. Compared to post-lockdown period, lockdown was associated with a significantly lower levels of physical activity, poorer mental well-being and sense of control over one’s life, and a higher level of loneliness. Similarly, during lockdown, there was a significantly higher consumption of junk food, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks but no change in fruit and vegetable intake. Participants recalled health campaigns on hand washing and social distancing and there was a retrospective view that more timely and informative campaigns on physical activity, nutrition and mental well-being should have been available during lockdown. Conclusions: While advice on infection control measures were appropriately provided, there is a need for concurrent health promotional information to help combat the changes in physical, mental and psychosocial well- being observed during quarantine to prevent negative health consequences in the community even if there are minimal effects of the pandemic itself

e-Delphi in the outdoors: Stakeholder contributions to the development of a wellbeing-focused outdoor adventure education intervention program_Supplementary Information 2 CREDES recommendations

Guidance on Conducting and REporting DElphi Studies (CREDES) recommendations.</p

e-Delphi in the outdoors: Stakeholder contributions to the development of a wellbeing-focused outdoor adventure education intervention program_Supplementary Information 1 Flow Chart Outlining Steps Utilised to Achieve Consensus.pdf

Flowchart outlining steps utilised to achieve consensus</p

e-Delphi in the outdoors: Stakeholder contributions to the development of a wellbeing-focused outdoor adventure education intervention program_Supplementary Information 3_Round 1 questions and Round 2 statements

Round 1 questions and Round 2 statements</p

e-Delphi in the outdoors: Stakeholder contributions to the development of a wellbeing-focused outdoor adventure education intervention program_Round 2 survey data

Round 2 dataset for the Delphi study</p

e-Delphi in the outdoors: Stakeholder contributions to the development of a wellbeing-focused outdoor adventure education intervention program_Full codebook of Round 1 responses

Full codebook of Round 1 responses</p

Life in a time of COVID: retrospective examination of the association between physical activity and mental well-being in Western Australians during and after lockdown

Background The aim of this study was to examine physical activity and sedentary behaviours during Western Australia’s COVID-19 lockdown and their association with mental well-being. Methods Participants completed activity related questions approximately two months after a three-month lockdown (which formed part of a larger cross-sectional study from August to October 2020) as part of a 25-minute questionnaire adapted from the Western Australia Health and Well-being Surveillance system. Open-ended questions explored key issues relating to physical activity behaviours. Results During the lockdown period, 463 participants (female, n = 347; 75.3%) reported lower number of active days (W = 4.47 p \u3c .001), higher non-work-related screen hours per week (W = 11.8 p \u3c .001), and higher levels of sitting time (χ2=28.4 p \u3c .001). Post lockdown body mass index was higher (U = 3.0 p = .003), with obese individuals reporting the highest non-work-related screen hours per week (Wald χ2= 8.9 p = .012). Inverse associations were found for mental well-being where higher lockdown scores of Kessler-10 (p = .011), Dass-21 anxiety (p = .027) and Dass-21 depression (p = .011) were associated with lower physical activity levels. A key qualitative message from participants was wanting to know how to stay healthy during lockdown. Conclusions Lockdown was associated with lower physical activity, higher non-work-related screen time and more sitting time compared to post lockdown which also reported higher body mass index. Lower levels of mental well-being were associated with lower physical activity levels during lockdown. Given the known positive affect of physical activity on mental well-being and obesity, and the detrimental associations shown in this study, a key public health message should be considered in an attempt to maintain healthy activity behaviours in future lockdowns and similar emergency situations to promote and maintain positive well-being. Furthermore, consideration should be given to the isolation of a community due to infectious disease outbreaks and to recognise the important role physical activity plays in maintaining weight and supporting good mental health