Recruitment Update: Following a successful 2024 recruitment period, recruitment has now temporarily closed and will be re-opening in 2025. We are incredibly grateful for everyone's interest and participation in the study so far. If you would like to be contacted about recruitment in the new year, please let us know via our Contact Us Page.

Take Part

Spnt.OUTSIDE@nhs.net

Take Part in The OUTSIDE study. A randomised controlled trial.

To take part in the study you must

  • Be aged 18 or over. 
  • Currently have symptoms of depression. 
  • Swimming ability – this will depend on your nearest swimming location. Some locations will require that you can swim at least 2 lengths of a standard pool and some locations are open to non-swimmers. *
  • Have no serious medical conditions that would make open water swimming unsafe for you. This will be determined by a member of our medical team who can review your health history questionnaire.

*The swim courses will be taught at a beginner’s level, however they are also open to more experienced outdoor swimmers if you feel that this course would be beneficial for you.

Monday to Friday 09.00 to 17.00

Send us an email spnt.OUTSIDE@NHS.net

If you would like further information or would like to take part in the study please complete this form:

Name(Required)
Are you aged 18 or older?(Required)
I confirm I can easily travel to this location and attend the course at the advertised time(Required)
Email(Required)
Once you submit this form a member of our research team will be in touch to answer any questions and take you through the consent process. Please indicate when you would be able to take a call from them? And when not to call.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thank you for completing this form. After you submit this, you should receive an email confirming we have got your form. This will include a copy of the participant information sheet and a link to a consent form and a short questionnaire.

If you have any problems completing this form or don’t receive a confirmation email please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at Spnt.OUTSIDE@nhs.net

After completing the sign-up form

The study enrolment process consists of the following four steps:

  1. Please read the patient information sheet that we will email you.
  2. If you still want to take part, complete the short questionnaire and online consent form that are in the email.
  3. Speak with one of our research team to ask questions and, discuss your health history and check your eligibility.
  4. Complete some online questionnaires asking you about your wellbeing and mental health. We can support you to do this or you can do this on your own, whatever you prefer.
  5. You will then be randomly allocated to either the Swim group this year or the Control group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: This group is vitally important to the scientific validity of the study. The mental health of this group is also monitored but they simply continue with whatever interventions they would have otherwise undertaken. Without this group, it is impossible to say whether any observed effects are directly due to the intervention or would have just happened anyway.

Answer: No, not unless you are told to by your doctor.

Answer: Inflammation results from the release of a number of different chemicals by the cells of the immune system. It is a normal, short-term healing response to tissue damage where it leads to swelling and redness; and to infection where it leads to fever and malaise.

However, if significant quantities of these chemicals are present over a long period of time – usually as a result of stress or autoimmune disease – it can have negative effects including depression, skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, thickening of the blood vessels which can result in high blood pressure and heart disease, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Answer: A study design that randomly assigns participants into the intervention group or a control group. As the study is conducted, the only expected difference between the control and experimental groups in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is the outcome variable being studied.

Answer: Absolutely not. Just a towel and plenty of warm dry clothes. We do recommend that you use clothes with few or no buttons as they are easier and quicker to get off and on thereby minimising the time you spend exposed to the cold air at the start and end of your session in the water.

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