Evaluating the Acceptability and Impact of an Online, Lifestyle-Based Mental Well-Being Initiative Targeting School Communities in New York State - Lifting the School Community Project.

Purpose: To determine the acceptability and impact of an online, lifestyle-based mental well-being initiative in a school-based setting.

Approach: A post-program evaluation survey was administered after the intervention.

Setting: Fifty-seven New York State school districts.

Participants: Participating school districts invited all employees and community members to register for the intervention. A total of 4083 individuals participated, with 1060 (26%) responding to the post-program survey.

Intervention: The 7-week intervention (The Lift Project) incorporated strategies from lifestyle medicine, positive psychology and neuroscience literature. The ten lessons included online, video-based content and related experiential learning exercises.

Methods: The post-program survey included Likert items that evaluated the participants' perceived program acceptability, mental health enhancement, self-efficacy, and skill acquisition. Inductive thematic qualitative analysis assessed the participants' likes and dislikes concerning the initiative.

Results: A high percentage of respondents indicated that the program improved their well-being (85%), enhanced their well-being-related self-efficacy (92%), and provided them with skills for supporting their long-term mental well-being (82%). Respondents liked the evidence-based, engaging content and design elements and the focus on personal well-being, community connection, and practical applicability. Some respondents desired more social connection, disliked certain design elements, lacked time and experienced technical issues.

Conclusion: The initiative was acceptable and impactful, indicating that school districts may serve as an effective network for addressing the mental health epidemic.