PERSONAL AGILITY
The development of the PERSONAL-AGILITY programme
Study title
The number of people living with two or more chronic conditions (also called multiple long-term conditions) is increasing. Multiple long-term conditions can affect people’s:
ability to ‘bounce back’ from illness
independence
quality of life.
People living with multiple long-term conditions are also more likely to have additional care needs.
24-hour health behaviours include all the ways we might move through a typical day, from limited/no movement to high-intensity activities. These behaviours are:
sleep
sitting/ breaking up prolonged sitting (also termed sedentary behaviour)
stepping (walking)
sweating (moderate to vigorous physical activity)
strengthening (resistance exercise)
Supporting people with multiple long-term conditions to improve their ‘24-hour health behaviours’ may improve their health, wellbeing, independence and quality of life.
Informal carer support can improve the 24-hour health behaviours of the people they care for. For carers themselves, improving 24-hour health behaviours can also:
positively influence some of the physical and mental wellbeing challenges linked with caring.
help to reduce carers risk of developing multiple long-term conditions themselves or support them to manage existing ones.
Despite this, there are many barriers to being active and getting sufficient sleep if you are both living with, and caring for someone with, multiple long-term conditions. There is currently limited support for and very little research in this area.
Background
The aim of this study is to understand:
what current usual care in relation to 24-hour health behaviours looks like for people with multiple long-term conditions, and those who care for them
what healthcare professionals’ training needs are, in relation to supporting people to improve their 24-hour health behaviours
carers’ 24-hour health behaviour experiences, support needs and preferences
We have already spoken to people with multiple-long term conditions, and in this study we hope to speak to two other groups of people:
healthcare professionals
people who provide informal (unpaid) care for people with multiple-long term conditions
This study is the first stage of a project funded by the National Institute of Health Research, and we will use the information gathered to design and test an intervention which aims to improve the health and well-being of people with multiple long-term health conditions, and those who care for them, equally.
Study aims
People who take part in this study will be asked to complete some short questionnaires. For carers these will help us to find out about:
your typical sleeping habits
how physically active you are.
how long you spend sitting typically.
how much labour (physical and emotional) you experience from caring.
For healthcare professionals, they will help us find out their knowledge, awareness, beliefs, and practices relating to 24-hour health behaviours.
All participants will also be asked to take part in a one-off group interview with a researcher, which will be arranged at a time and location that suits them, or will be conducted online. Healthcare professionals and carers will be grouped separately. During the group interviews we will ask participants
what the facilitators and challenges to being more active and less sedentary may be, and what your support needs are.
to share your thoughts on what might help people with multiple-long term conditions to be more active over a 24-hour period.
We will also reimburse participants for their time for the interview (up to £20), for travel expenses (for in-person interviews, if applicable, up to £25) and if applicable, caring costs (up to £15 per hour).
Study summary
Study progress
This study is currently recruiting participants. If you are:
a community physiotherapist or social prescriber who regularly provides support to people with multiple long term conditions, as part of their usual role OR
are 16 or over and provide regular, informal care to someone living with multiple long-term conditions for 3 months or over. Informal care includes emotional support, prompting with taking medications, getting prescriptions, managing, and organising appointments and care tasks, encouraging participation in social events and physical activity, helping with household tasks, or providing physical care.
And would like to find out more, without obligation to take part, please email Hannah.young@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
If you are a Healthcare professional you can also listen to an audio version of the participant information sheet below
Alternatively, if you are a carer if you would like further information play the audio version below:
The study is sponsored by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research.
Funding and sponsorship
None yet
Study publications
Data protection
Principal Investigator: Dr Hannah Young
For more information, please contact: Hannah.young@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
Research team