Working together with people in secure mental health units to stay healthy

What’s the challenge?

People with severe mental health problems can find it more difficult to live healthy lifestyles.

They are more likely to develop conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure and have a reduced life expectancy.

Regular physical activity can improve both mental and physical health, but it’s especially difficult for those living in secure mental health units to stay active.

‘First of its kind’ study

In the first UK feasibility study of its kind, our researchers have worked with service users, NHS staff and other partners to co-create and deliver a physical activity intervention in medium secure mental health units.

These units care for adults who are a risk to themselves or others and have a medium level of security with patients not allowed to leave the site.

Exercise could involve using the onsite gym, gardening or simply walking round the ward.

The participants reported being more active, feeling healthier, and better in themselves after taking part in the programme.

The study shows that running a physical activity intervention in secure mental health units is possible. It could be effective in improving the physical health of adults living with severe mental health problems in such restricted environments.  

Barriers to exercise

People in these units are living with conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression.

Medication side effects such as fatigue can make it difficult to exercise as well as inconsistent attitudes towards exercise by staff.

In the UK, around 3,500 people live in these medium secure services. Despite the clear health risks, there has only been limited research into how to help these individuals stay active.

The next step is to test the programme more widely in a larger trial to see how well it works across different hospitals.

Find out more

• The research was led by Professor Tammi Walker working with Gloria Roden-Lui from our Psychology Department.
• The collaborators were: University of Huddersfield, University of York, Glasgow Caledonian University, Birmingham City University, University of British Columbia (Canada), Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
• Funding was provided by the Research for Patient Benefit of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
• Our Department of Psychology is ranked 84th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025. Visit our Psychology webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
• Professor Walker is a member of the Institute of Advanced Study, Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing and Institute for Medical Humanities.