What is the 'READY Trial'?

Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire published a report on the involvement of Young Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire in a Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG) as part of the Ready Trial. 46 

young people attended at least one of the YPAG meetings, with many attending multiple meetings from November 2019 to March 2023. Additionally, 10 youth leaders and 12 READY Trial team members have also attended the meetings. 12 YPAG meetings were held in total, either in-person, online, or hybrid.

The purpose of the YPAG is to involve young people and their families throughout the research process, to ensure that the research being undertaken is relevant to, and informed by, young people.

The READY Trial was a study carried out in the Southeast of England by the University of Hertfordshire covering areas across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Norfolk. Its purpose was to investigate the correlation between acute-medium depression, or low mood, and physical activity in young people (aged between 13 years old and 17 years old).

The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment.

Due to low numbers of participants in the Trial, a decision was taken to hold a final READY Trial YPAG meeting, which took place in March 2023. However, although this was earlier than anticipated, many valuable lessons have been learnt and will be used in any future studies.

The READY Trial team is now preparing their report which will illustrate the results from the Trial, and these will be shared with the participants, researchers, and others who supported the Trial. The research team is also planning to continue with other projects involving young people and their mental health. For example, developing a project looking into young people and Internet addictions, and other projects researching concerns younger people currently face. They also hope to involve the YPAG once again to gain their insights and advice on future projects.