A multiple health behaviour change intervention to prevent depression: A randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Mental Health

Background:

• Depression is a significant public health concern, particularly within primary care settings.
• Lifestyle factors like diet, physical activity, and smoking are linked to mental well-being.
• There is a need for effective interventions to prevent depression onset in primary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-month Mediterranean healthy eating, physical activity, and smoking cessation intervention.
• To determine if the intervention prevents the onset of major depression in primary health care.
• To assess the intervention's impact on reducing depressive symptoms in individuals without baseline depression.

Main Methods:

• A cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 22 primary health care centers.
• 2531 eligible participants were randomized to either usual care or the Mediterranean healthy eating, physical activity, and smoking cessation intervention.
• Endpoints included the onset of major depression and reduction of depressive symptoms at 12-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed significant positive changes in adopting two or more healthy behaviors (OR 1.75) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (OR 1.94).
• No statistically significant improvements were observed for smoking cessation or increased physical activity.
• The intervention was not effective in preventing major depression (OR 1.17) or reducing depressive symptoms (Mean difference: 0.30).

Conclusions:

• The Mediterranean healthy eating, physical activity, and smoking cessation intervention did not significantly reduce the incidence of major depression compared to usual care.
• While the intervention positively influenced certain health behaviors, its impact on preventing depression onset was not statistically significant.
• Further research may be needed to explore alternative or modified interventions for depression prevention in primary care.