Abstract
BackgroundMajor depression (MDE) is prevalent in men and affects men’s health and productivity. Because of the stigma against depression and social/gender norms, men are less likely to seek help for emotion and stress-related issues. Therefore, innovative solutions tailored for men are needed. With rapid development of the Internet and information technologies, one promising solution that has drawn considerable attentions is electronic mental (e-mental) health programs and services.ObjectiveThe objective of our study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-mental health program BroHealth on reducing the risk of having MDE and improving productivity and return to investment.MethodsThe target population is Canadian working men who are at high risk of having MDE (N=1200). Participants will be recruited using the method of random digit dialing across the country and workplace advertisement. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated into the following groups: (1) a control group, (2) a group receiving BroHealth only, and (3) a group receiving BroHealth and telephone-based job coaching service. The groups will be assessed at 6 and 12 months after randomization. The primary outcome is the risk proportion of MDE over 12 months, which will be assessed by the World Health Organization's (WHO’s) Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form for Major Depression. Intention-to-treat principle will be used in the analysis. The 12-month proportions of MDE in the groups will be estimated and compared. Logistic regression modeling will be used to examine the effect of the intervention on the outcome, controlling for the effects of baseline confounders.ResultsIt is anticipated that the randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be completed by 2018. This study has been approved by the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Review Board of the University of Calgary. The trial is funded by a team grant from the Movember Foundation, a global charity for men’s health. BroHealth was developed at the Digital Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, and the usability testing has been completed.ConclusionsBroHealth was developed based on men’s needs. We hypothesized that BroHealth will be an effective, acceptable, and sustainable product for early prevention of MDE in workplaces.ClinicalTrialClinicaltrials.gov NCT02777112; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02777112 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6lbOQpiCG)
Highlights
Suicide ranked as the ninth leading cause of death in Canada in 2009, but among young people aged 15 to 34 it was the second leading cause, preceded only by accidents
While over time the suicide rate within this group has remained relatively stable, suicides are responsible for a greater percentage of teenage deaths
In 2009, nearly one-quarter (23%) of all deaths among 15- to 19-year-olds were due to suicide, more than double the proportion of 9% in 1974
Summary
Released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time in The Daily, Wednesday, July 25, 2012 Suicide ranked as the ninth leading cause of death in Canada in 2009, but among young people aged 15 to 34 it was the second leading cause, preceded only by accidents. While over time the suicide rate within this group has remained relatively stable, suicides are responsible for a greater percentage of teenage deaths. This difference is primarily explained by decreases in accidental deaths in this age group during the same time period.
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