HEADS: UP for World Health Day

World Health Day, Heads:up Glasgow caledonian Univeristy and World Health Organisation Logos

GCU stroke researchers in the HEADS: UP team are marking World Health Day today (April 7) by celebrating the latest success of their online project and highlighting their findings.

HEADS: UP (Helping Ease Anxiety and Depression after Stroke) is funded by The Stroke Association and helps people who have suffered a stroke self-manage symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The team launched their online pilot project in October 2021 to continue to reach out to people affected by stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic. They run nine-week adapted Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction courses designed to help individuals learn mindfulness skills that might help them to cope with emotional difficulties.

The researchers continue to measure the success of the project and have so far received encouraging feedback from participants.

Key findings were that participants who attended the Zoom online course found it manageable and easy to access, some reporting an improvement in symptoms of anxiety and depression.

They also said that being part of an online group was enjoyable and provided company and support. Some felt mindful practice at home was challenging, so the team set up online logs and diaries, along with mid-week text prompts to remind people to practice.

HEADS: UP will finish in September 2022 and the researchers hope future work will be carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of HEADS: UP for people after a stroke.

Dr Bridget Davis, HEADS: UP Project Manager said: “To date more than 50 people have now helped us to develop and test the HEADS: UP course. In this final stage 64 people are participating in the HEADS: UP trial.

“We have been encouraged that so far, the response to taking part in HEADS: UP online research has been positive.  All participants complete research questionnaires and participate in focus groups where they provide important feedback about the research.

“People have found the course enjoyable and being online has worked well. It isn’t always easy to practice mindfulness at home, but we are seeing some reported improvement in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our final results will be available for our funders, The Stroke Association, and the wider public after the project ends later in the year.”