What is this study about?
Brighton and Sussex Medical School is part of an international team looking at ways to prevent heart disease by working with local communities. Heart disease is now the biggest cause of death around the world, and one of the leading causes of disability. Researchers and doctors know a lot about what causes heart diseases and what reduces the risk. The more we all know what the doctors know, the better we can all protect ourselves and maintain a good quality of life.
Healthy Hearts East Sussex is a health project which is part of an international project called called 'SPICES.' Here in East Sussex we are working with Community Health Volunteers to provide health coaching sessions to people with a medium risk of heart disease.
What will happen if you take part?
If you choose to take part we will ask you to complete a simple questionnaire about the health of your heart. From there we will be able see what small but important changes you could make that will reduce your risk of heart disease in the future. Then you will be given one of three results:
- You are in the 'Low Risk' Group: If the data you provide suggests you have a healthy lifestyle, then this is positive news and we may contact you about how you could be involved in the project.
- If you are in this middle group you are eligible to take part in the health coach intervention study. You will be offered coaching sessions with our local team of community health volunteers who will provide health coaching sessions on how you can improve your heart health.
- You are in the 'High Risk' group: If you are in this high-risk group we would recommend that you make an appointment to see your doctor. As researchers we cannot give any medical advice, but it is important that we do not ignore signs of a high risk of heart problems.
If you are eligible to complete the questionnaire we will ask for your contact details, so we can let you know what comes next. Regardless of which risk group you are in it is important for you to understand that the questionnaire that you have completed is not a medical assessment or diagnosis and cannot be relied upon to reach conclusions about your health.
If you are in
'Medium Risk' group you will be asked to take part in the
health coaching intervention study in which you will be paired with one of our community health volunteers who will provide coaching with the aim of improving your heart health. We will contact you to set up these sessions.
There will be monthly coaching sessions over the course of the next six months. In the health coaching sessions one of our volunteers will encourage you to think about and try out some simple and realistic ways that you can improve your heart health. In your first and last session we will ask you to complete three short questionnaires which will focus on your heart health, diet, and exercise levels.
To note, due to safety concerns related to COVID-19 all coaching session are being run virtually online using Zoom. We will provide help and support to use Zoom if needed.
After you have completed the coaching intervention part of the study you will be asked if you would like to take part in either an interview or group discussion with a member of our research team. We would like to talk about which parts of the health coaching intervention you thought were most helpful and which we could improve. Together we will try to work out how the intervention can be made better in the future.
Will you be paid to take part?
There are no financial incentives for this project.
Do you have to take part and can you withdraw?
It is up to you to decide whether to take part. If you decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw at any time and without giving a reason. If you provide us with your personal details you can withdraw your data at any time up to, but no later than, June 30 2022 (when the project finishes) by contacting the team (see the contact details section below).
Why have you been asked to take part?
You have been invited to take part in the project because you are over 18 and you live in East Sussex.
Is the study confidential?
Your name and personal details will not be used in any publication. These details will be collected, stored and destroyed in line with the Data Protection Act 2018. Any information we collect will be kept securely and not shared outside of the research team. The research team includes a small group of researchers at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the volunteer coordinators at your local community partner organisation. Please see the SPICES website for more information about who is involved in the project.
https://www.bsms.ac.uk/research/primary-care-and-population-health/public-health/spices/spices.aspx
Participant Observations
During some parts of the study a member of the research team may ask if you are willing to be observed whilst you take part. This researcher will be interested in checking how the project works in the real world so that we can learn how it might work better in the future. They are not there to judge you and you should try to act as if they are not there.
They will ask you if you are willing to be observed and they will not do so if you don't want them to. You can also ask them to stop observing you if it is making you uncomfortable.
Contact details
If you wish to discuss participation in the study, any aspects of this information sheet or have any questions or concerns about the study please contact the team at SPICES.SUSSEX@bsms.ac.uk.
Happy to take part? Great! Please complete our survey. (It will take about 5 minutes)
Let's start with your agreement to participate in the study.