A total of 214 participants were recruited from OWLS 1 and 2 surveys to join the OWLS Cohort, which represented a group of participants with a diagnosis of serious mental illness (SMI) willing to be involved in future research.
It aimed to follow participants over time using questionnaires every six months to discover lasting effects of pandemic restrictions, health related behaviours and loneliness. Questions were tailored to explore risk factors for smoking, activity levels and diet. Six factors were identified as having influenced people’s health. Findings showed the complexity of how different aspects of lifestyle are highly interconnected. For people with SMI, loss of routine and sleep, poor diet and lack of exercise can compound each other, leading to a decline in physical and mental health. If people are supported to understand what helps them stay well, they can establish their own frameworks to draw on during difficult times.
