PI: Professor Susan Smith, Public Health and Primary Care School of Medicine, TCD
TCD Researchers: Dr Muireann O’Shea, Prof Noel McCarthy, Dr Dylan Creane, Dr Darach Ó Ciardha, Dr Niamh Merriman
Collaborators:
- ExWell Medical
- Tallaght University Hospital
- Health Service Executive, CHO7
Funding: The HSE Community Healthcare Organisation 7 (CHO7) funded participant access to the ExWell programme for a two-year period and an evaluation of the uptake and impact of this service.
Key Objective
This research project aims to evaluate the processes, impact, and feasibility of the ExWell Medical programme, a novel community-based exercise rehabilitation initiative for people living with chronic disease in Ireland.
Research Design
This study is a prospective observational feasibility study using a mixed-methods approach.
Quantitatively, the study will:
- Profile participants referred to ExWell, including chronic disease type, treatment burden, health behaviours, educational attainment, marital status, and socioeconomic status.
- Capture service delivery metrics and assess service processes and efficiency.
- Evaluate the programme’s ability to target selected clinical cohorts.
- Measure readiness of potential participants (i.e. those referred to the programme) to engage with ExWell and the factors influencing uptake, engagement and dropout.
- Assess the impact of engaging in the ExWell programme on participants physical function, patient-reported outcomes, and healthcare utilisation.
Qualitative interviews and focus groups with participants, referrers, clinicians, and ExWell staff will explore experiences of implementation and perceived impact of the ExWell programme.
Impact
Findings will provide essential evidence on the feasibility, implementation, and potential benefits of a community-based physical activity programme for people living with various chronic illnesses in Ireland.
Study Duration: Nov 2022 – Aug 2026
Researchers: Prof Susan Smith (TCD), Dr Paul Doody (TCD), Dr Lisa Kelly (TCD), Dr Fiona Skelly (ExWell Medical), Dr Muireann O’Shea (TCD), Dr John Travers (TCD), Prof Sean Kennelly (TUH), Dr Noel McCaffrey (ExWell Medical), Dr Paul McLoughlin (UCD), Dr David Mockler (TCD).
Collaborators: ExWell Medical
Overview
This scoping review will examine the global evidence on group-based community exercise programmes for adults living with various or multiple non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and multimorbidity.
Key Objective
The review aims to comprehensively map and synthesise the available literature on supervised, in-person group exercise programmes delivered in community settings for adults with chronic conditions. It seeks to identify what is currently known, highlight gaps in the evidence, and provide recommendations to inform future research, policy, and service development.
Study Design
Guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting standards, this scoping review involves systematic searches across major international databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar.
Eligible studies include primary research investigating supervised group-based exercise programmes of at least six weeks’ duration delivered in community or outpatient settings to adults aged 18 years and over living with one or more NCDs.
Data will be charted and narratively synthesised, examining programme characteristics, participant profiles, referral pathways, and outcomes such as effectiveness, safety, feasibility, acceptability, engagement, and cost-effectiveness.
Potential Impact
As the global burden of chronic disease continues to rise, there is increasing need for scalable, community-based models of care that support physical activity as medicine. By identifying the strengths and limitations of existing group-based exercise programmes, this review will provide evidence to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of future services, supporting health systems to better meet the needs of people living with chronic disease.
This doctoral research addresses a key implementation challenge in public health and chronic disease prevention: how to improve recruitment and reach in physical activity programmes for adolescent girls. The project generates policy- and practice-relevant evidence to inform programme design, delivery and targeting, supporting more equitable population health interventions. The work aligns with national policy and strategy regarding physical activity, obesity and chronic disease prevention, and contributes evidence to support effective upstream prevention within Sláintecare.
Supervision team: Assistant Professor Emer Barrett (Primary Supervisor; Discipline of Physiotherapy, Trinity College Dublin) and Professor Catherine Darker (Secondary Supervisor; Trinity College Dublin)
PhD Candidate: Tanya O’Brien
Funding: Research Ireland Enterprise Partnership Scheme Scholarship and the Dublin City Sport & Wellbeing Partnership through the Active Cities project.
Objective:
To identify and evaluate recruitment strategies that improve participation and equity in physical activity programmes for adolescent girls.
Key components:
- Evidence synthesis on recruitment strategies in physical activity interventions
- Applied analysis of recruitment approaches used in real-world programmes
- Translation of findings for programme developers and policymakers
Impact:
Improved guidance for designing and implementing physical activity programmes, supporting national chronic disease prevention policy.