Eesha Mehra, Patricia Longmuir

Over 500,000 youth in Ontario experience >1 mental illnesses, with more than 200,000 youth unable to access support. Research has shown that inactive lifestyles can impact mental well-being. Clinicians address lifestyle factors with 95% of youth experiencing mental distress. The HEalthy Lifestyle Project (HELP) is a virtual resource that guides youth toward making lifestyle changes while they wait for or seek specialist support. Designed collaboratively with youth experiencing mental distress, their parents, and clinicians, HELP guides youth to make step-by-step lifestyle changes independently or alongside professional support.  The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the HELP e-intervention on physical activity levels and self-reported quality of life among youth experiencing mental distress.  As part of a randomized controlled trial, youth aged 12-23 years (n = 122) who self-identified as experiencing mental distress were randomized to receive either immediate (intervention) or delayed (control) access to six months of HELP support. Validated measures of physical activity and quality of life were completed at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. The present analysis will compare baseline and six-month outcomes to assess the effect of the HELP e-intervention on physical activity and quality of life, adjusting for age and sex. Findings from this study may inform scalable, accessible lifestyle-based interventions aimed at enhancing youth mental well-being, improving treatment options regardless of geographic location or wait times for specialist support, or optimizing readiness for engagement in therapy to reduce the demand for specialist support.