Acceptability and feasibility of a theatre-based wellness programme to support people living with long COVID: a single-arm feasibility study

Abstract

Objectives To determine acceptability and feasibility of a theatre-based wellness programme to support the health and well-being of people with long COVID.Design Single-group, repeated-measures feasibility study.Setting Community centre and online.Participants Adults with diagnosed long COVID experiencing breathlessness, pain and/or loneliness.Intervention Six-week participatory creative programme delivered to one online and one in-person group facilitated by movement, voice and drama consultants using breathing, visualisation, singing, poetry, storytelling and movement exercises.Primary outcome measures Programme acceptability and feasibility measured via uptake, reasons for non-attendance and barriers to engagement.Secondary outcome measures Feasibility of recruitment and data collection procedures measured through proportion of missing data and follow-up rates, mechanisms of action of the programme identified through qualitative interviews, changes in mental health, well-being, quality of life, loneliness, social support, fatigue, breathlessness and post-COVID-19 functional status at 8-week follow-up.Results 21 people expressed interest in participating, 20 people took part in the programme, 19 completed baseline and 16 completed follow-up assessments. Participants attended an average of 4.8 of 6 sessions (SD=1.5, range 2–6). Exploratory analyses demonstrated significant improvements in self-rated health (t-test mean difference=0.12, 95% CI=0.00, 0.23, p=0.04) and chronic fatigue symptoms (mean difference=−3.50, 95% CI=−6.97, –0.03, p=0.05) at 8 weeks. Key mechanisms of action that supported health and well-being included: increased sense of community, illness acceptance, experiencing joy, increased confidence in managing everyday life, increased ability to relax and reconnection with previous identity. Barriers to engagement included: activities being outside of the participant's comfort zone, ongoing long COVID symptoms, emotional consequences of sharing experiences and connectivity and connecting online.Conclusions A 6-week theatre-based programme was perceived as acceptable to most participants and resulted in some positive psychosocial impacts. The findings provide a rationale for supporting the ongoing development and scale-up of this and related arts programmes to support people living with long COVID.