Feasibility of a Multimodal Lifestyle Intervention Programme for Patients With Ulcerative Colitis: A Single‐Arm Pilot Study
Plain Language Summary Lifestyle factors, such as exercise, diet and mental health, have shown promise in improving well‐being in people with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory condition of the large bowel. However, these factors are usually addressed separately in research. Therefore, we explored whether a 24‐week programme combining exercise, personalised dietary advice and psychological support could be implemented in people with ulcerative colitis. Thirty patients took part in the programme. Most participants remained in the study, and three‐quarters were satisfied with the programme. However, maintaining participation across the different components proved challenging. In particular, adherence to the exercise programme was low, whereas adherence to dietary advice was higher. More than half of the participants were eligible for psychological support, but only a quarter of those started the programme. No unexpected safety concerns were observed. Overall, our findings suggest that patients may be interested in a broad lifestyle approach, but that initial interest does not necessarily translate into sustained participation. Therefore, future programmes should focus on making lifestyle interventions more flexible, practical and tailored to individual people.
Authors
- Floor Bennebroek Evertsz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1851-2819)
- Baukje van den Heuvel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7491-0910)
- Willemijn Alexandra van Dop (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4653-6594)
- Mirjam Severs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4287-741X)
- Marjolijn Duijvestein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4814-9376)
- Dorien Oomkens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4197-0950)
- Suzanne Kooij
- Rianne Vehof
Institutions
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Radboud University Medical Center (NL)
- Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- JCC Plus
- Published
- 2026-10-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jcc5.70095
- Primary Topic
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Radboud Universitair Medisch Centrum