Keeping proven healthy lifestyle programs running in mental health care
Official title: Dynamic Sustainment of Evidence-Based Health Promotion Interventions in Mental Health
Funded at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic · NIH-11193446 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project helps mental health centers keep a proven healthy-lifestyle program (InSHAPE) running long-term for adults with serious mental illness.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lebanon, United States) |
| Project start | September 16, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $633,127 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH133610-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11193446 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21 and older) with serious mental illness who receive care at participating mental health organizations, including those taking antipsychotic medications and at risk for cardiovascular disease.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21, those without serious mental illness, or patients whose clinics do not adopt or continue the program are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
Many adults with serious mental illness die earlier from heart disease, and InSHAPE is a lifestyle program that has helped reduce weight and cardiovascular risk in past trials. This project partners with U.S. mental health organizations to study which strategies let InSHAPE continue after initial funding ends. Researchers will follow sites that previously implemented InSHAPE, collect data on program delivery, staff roles, and participant health over several years, and compare different sustainment approaches. The aim is to identify practical, long-lasting ways for community mental health centers to keep offering health promotion so more patients can benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If it works, more adults with serious mental illness could have ongoing access to a program that lowers obesity and cardiovascular risk.
How similar studies have gone: InSHAPE has produced health benefits in two randomized trials and prior implementation studies, but long-term sustainment of these programs in mental health organizations has not yet been studied.
Where this research is happening
-
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic
Lebanon, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aschbrenner, Kelly a — Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic
- Study coordinator: Aschbrenner, Kelly a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.