The NutriMind Project

Combining a healthy diet and psychotherapy to treat depressive symptoms in sub-Saharan Africa

Project team members at Makerere University

Project van and project team outside its headquarter at Makerere University.

Photo: Paul Akampurira

About

University students in low- and middle income countries continue to face growing rates of depression, a common mental health problem. Adding to this burden is the mental health treatment gap, necessitating the need to identify novel therapeutic strategies that can easily be implemented, and at a large scale.

For a quick overview of the NutriMind project, check out this video:

https://go.screenpal.com/watch/cZfUqrVMwhO

Background

Associate Professor Prudence Friberg, co-Principal investigator.

Photo: Prudence Friberg

The burden of depression is high in sub-Saharan countries, largely aggravated by malnutrition, poverty and poor public health governance, and lately the covid-19 pandemic. These factors increase psychological distress, in particular among young people in challenging periods of life, such as students who are about to choose their career and establish family.

Successfully managing depression in this region is likely to depend on low-cost therapy that can easily be administered to large target populations, yet still be at the scientific forefront, evidence-based, and culturally acceptable. This can possibly be obtained with an intervention combining healthy diet and cognitive behavioural therapy based on mindfulness principles.

Objective

The purpose of this project is to perform a randomized controlled trial to test if a healthy diet combined with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can reduce depressive symptoms among university students in Uganda, a low-income country.

Trial features

We will perform a randomized controlled trial where will examine if a combination of a healthy diet ("Mediterranen-diet") and psychotherapy ("Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy") can reduce the occurrence of depressive symptoms among University students in Uganda. We will include two study groups (control, n=125) and intervention, n=125). The trial will last for a total of two years. Those who score 16-25 points on the Center for Epidemiological Studies – Depression score (CES-D) scale, a self-reported assessment of depressive symptoms, are eligible. The primary endpoint is a reduction in this score. In addition we will perform a health-economic evaluation of the project. The project is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05848973.

Image may contain: Food, Table, Window, Plant, Houseplant. — Training in preparation of the healthy (Mediterranean-type) diet.

Photo: Paul Akampurira

Training in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
Photo: Paul Akampurira

Digital tool as part of the psychotherapy intervention

To increase the adherence to the psychotherapy intervention with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, the study participants will get access to StressProffen©™, an app-based stress management program based on well-known strategies and principles from cognitive behavioral therapy, in combination with a number of other recognized stress management techniques, such as mindfulness, relaxation exercises and visualization. Studies have shown that the StressProffen program can help reduce stress and symptoms of anxiety and depression in everyday life, as well as better quality of life and the ability to self-regulate thoughts, feelings and behavior.

Read more about StressProffen here: https://www.digitalhealth.no/english/projects/stressproffen/index.html