Long-term effects of a brief educational intervention on physical activity prescription intentions in mental health professionals: an exploratory, single-arm study

Abstract

Despite robust evidence of its benefits, physical activity (PA) promotion is rarely integrated into routine mental health care. This study aims to investigate the long-term effects of a brief, theory-informed three-hour workshop on mental health professionals’ (MHPs’) PA prescription intentions and their psychological determinants. A pre-test/post-test single-arm design was used. Eighty MHPs completed assessments before and after the workshop, and 44 completed a nine-month follow-up. Outcomes were framed using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior: attitudes (instrumental and affective), subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC) and intentions. Significant improvements were observed across all constructs immediately post-intervention (all p < 0.001), with moderate effect sizes for PBC (d = 0.61) and intentions (d = 0.56). At nine months, improvements persisted for affective attitudes (d = 0.40), subjective norms (d = 0.27) and PBC (d = 0.39), while instrumental attitudes and intentions returned to near-baseline. The single-arm design without a control group precludes causal inference, and attrition at nine-month follow-up may introduce selection bias. Future research should use randomized controlled designs and investigate booster sessions to sustain intention change. Brief theory-informed workshops can produce meaningful and partially sustained improvements in MHPs’ readiness to prescribe PA, but should be embedded within broader organizational frameworks to translate motivation into routine clinical behavior. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine nine-month outcomes following a brief PA counseling workshop for MHPs, highlighting both the utility and limitations of one-shot educational interventions.