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Inactive PeopleCCEMHANCT07422909

Bridging the Gap: Implementing BRIDGES

A study testing The BRIDGES (In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise and Support) intervention in people with Inactive People and Depression, run by Université Catholique de Louvain at 1 site in Belgium.

Enrolling by invitation

Enrolling by invitation. The study team selects and invites participants, usually from an existing group of patients.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Together with teenagers, we have developed a new approach: BRIDGES, which stands for "In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise, and Support." BRIDGES aims to help young people with depression get moving again in their daily lives, at their own pace and in ways that are good for… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 12 to 19 years
Conditions the study is for
Inactive People, Depression
What is being tested?
The BRIDGES (In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise and Support) intervention
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
60 participants
Where
1 siteBelgium
Study dates
1 Mar 2026to 30 Jun 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 12 to 19 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult

Who may be able to join

  • All adolescents aged 12 to 19 with a diagnosis of depression who are receiving outpatient care through AREA+
  • voluntary participation and accepting the randomisation
  • being admitted at AREA+
  • being able to stay focused for 30 minutes
  • having a good knowledge of French
  • physically inactive defined as not meeting the PA guidelines from World Health Organisation (28) following the corresponding age (i.e. at least 420 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) /week for those aged 12-17 and at least 150 min of MVPA /week for those aged 18 and 19 years
  • living in Brussels

Who cannot join

  • intellectual disability (defined as an intelligence quotient < 70)
  • participants with serious medical problems or medical precautions prohibiting higher-intensity exercise (e.g., severe metabolic disorders, oncologic disease, unstable diabetes) according to the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Belgium1 site

  • AREA+, Epsylon

    Brussels, Uccle, 1180

Other trials in Belgium

About this study

Official title: Bridging the Gap: Implementing BRIDGES (Brussels Resilience and Inclusion for Depression - Guidance, Exercise and Support) to Shape Adolescent Outpatient Mental Health Care. A Randomized Control Study Protocol

Together with teenagers, we have developed a new approach: BRIDGES, which stands for "In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise, and Support." BRIDGES aims to help young people with depression get moving again in their daily lives, at their own pace and in ways that are good for them.

Read the detailed description

Even though physical activity is recognized for its mental and physical health benefits, we find that adolescents going through a difficult psychological period often engage in very little of it. Current physical activity offerings do not always take into account their specific needs, preferences, or daily realities. That is why we have co-created a new approach with adolescents: BRIDGES, which stands for "In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise, and Support." This project includes 18 30-minute sessions over 3 months with a physical therapist specializing in mental health, including individual follow-ups with advice and discussions, as well as putting you in touch with sports clubs or associations of your choice. The goal is to help you get moving again in your daily life, at your own pace and in a way that makes you feel good.

This study has a waiting list control group, so young people can either participate immediately or wait 6 months to participate.

Being tested
The BRIDGES (In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise and Support) intervention
Keywords
Depression, Physical Activity, Adolescents, Community-level, Outpatient, Physiotherapy, Inactive, psychiatry
Medical subject headings
Depression, Motor Activity, Sedentary Behavior

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • The BRIDGES (In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise and Support) interventionBehavioural

    Described above

Study groups in NCT07422909
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
The BRIDGES interventionExperimentalThe BRIDGES intervention comprises 18 individualized sessions delivered over 12 weeks, combining physiotherapist-led counselling with structured support to transition into community-based physical activity. Motivational interviewing techniques facilitate collaborative, non-judgmental dialogue, helping adolescents resolve ambivalence about physical activity. Through reflective listening and open-ended questions, physiotherapists guide participants to explore their values, goals, and motivations, fostering a sense of ownership over the behaviour change process. Drawing on the self-determination theory, counselling targets three key psychological needs.Relevant opportunities from the AREA+ network, including local sports clubs and initiatives, are introduced in ways that align with adolescents' interests and intrinsic motivation. All participating clubs and associations are carefully selected.
Receives: Behavioral: The BRIDGES (In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise and Support) intervention
Waiting-listNo interventionAccordingly, the comparator group will be a waitlist control receiving usual care, allowing evaluation of the added benefit of the intervention within the existing care context. The usual standard outpatient care, which may include psychotherapy, medication management, or other usual clinical services. No structured physical activity intervention is provided.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Depressive symptoms

    Patient Health Questionnaire-9 modified for Adolescents (PHQ-A) The PHQ-A is a brief instrument modified to adolescents used to assess the severity of depression (41). It contains 9 items that are on a scale from 0 to 3, with the total score ranging from 0 to 27.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  2. Physical activity levels

    Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) The PAVS is a screening tool used to assess patients' physical activity levels (37). It consists of two questions: (a) on average, how many days per week do you engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity, and (b) on those days, how many minutes do you typically spend participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity? The product of these responses (days × minutes) provides an estimate of the patient's average weekly minutes of physical activity in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

Secondary outcomes (9)

  1. Depressive symptoms (larger evaluation)

    Beck Depression Index (BDI II) The BDI-II captures specific behavioral manifestations of depression. It is a 21-item self-report inventory, with each item scored from 0 to 3 based on four statements reflecting symptom severity, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 63.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  2. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)

    The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a widely used self-report instrument designed to assess an individual's perception of social support from different sources (49). The scale comprises 12 items, each rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from a score of 7 to 84.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  3. Adapted Exercise self-efficacy (SEE)

    Exercise self-efficacy (SEE) is a key determinant of intention formation and engagement in physical activity. In the original SEE, respondents rate their confidence in exercising three times per week for 20 minutes. For the present study, the scale was adapted so that the target behavior reflects an individualized exercise goal defined by each adolescent, that is, the type of physical activity they wish to perform.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  4. Astrand Rhyming test (ART)

    Astrand Rhyming test (ART) ART is a single-stage cycle ergometer test, to measure the CRF fitness levels (assessed as an estimation of VO2 max)

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  5. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)

    Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) WHtR is calculated as waist circumference (cm) divided by height (cm). Waist circumference will be measured in standing position, midway between the lowest border of the rib cage and the superior border of the iliac crest, at the end of a normal expiration.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  6. Motivational interviewing fidelity

    Fidelity to motivational interviewing (MI) will be assessed using a combination of observer- and participant-reported measures. First, adherence to MI principles will be evaluated using the Independent Tape Rater Scale (ITRS), which is recommended for effectiveness studies

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  7. Client Perception of Motivational Interviewing

    the Client Perception of Motivational Interviewing (CPMI) scale captures participants' experiences of MI-consistent communication during sessions. This combined approach enables assessment of both the technical and relational components of MI fidelity while remaining feasible within the constraints of a pilot implementation study.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  8. The Health Care Climate Questionnaire

    Adolescents will complete the Health Care Climate Questionnaire (HCCQ) (61) to evaluate perceived autonomy support provided by the physiotherapist. In addition, brief post-session feedback forms will invite participants to rate the extent to which they felt understood, empowered, and supported in setting their own goals-key indicators of SDT-congruent delivery.

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

  9. Logbook

    the physiotherapist will fill out a logbook with their participation describing their presence, the context, the mechanisms at work, and clinical observations on the adolescents and their participation in physical activities

    Measured: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Feb 2026
  2. Study start1 Mar 2026
  3. Primary completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
This study will use a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial design, allowing simultaneous evaluation of the BRIDGES intervention's impact on adolescents and the processes supporting its uptake in routine outpatient care. Implementation will be guided by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) and the RE-AIM framework, which together provide a structured approach to assess how the intervention is delivered, adopted, and sustained across outpatient and community-based settings. This dual perspective enables a comprehensive understanding of both the intervention's effects and the factors influencing its successful integration into real-world clinical practice.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
60 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07422909
Sponsor's protocol ID
CCEMHA
Other IDs
JRDIC-2 a-b-c
Acronym
CCEMHA
Status last verified
Jun 2026
First submitted
4 Feb 2026
Last updated
18 Jun 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Philippot, A., Coppens, M., Van Damme, T., Sluys, C., Francaux, M., Dubois, V., & Vancampfort, D. (2026). Combining the behavior change wheel framework with a co-design approach to develop an outpatient physical activity intervention for adolescents with depression: A blueprint. Manuscript accepted for publication.

  • Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change. Guilford press.

  • Philippot A, Dubois V, Lambrechts K, Grogna D, Robert A, Jonckheer U, Chakib W, Beine A, Bleyenheuft Y, De Volder AG. Impact of physical exercise on depression and anxiety in adolescent inpatients: A randomized controlled trial. J Affect Disord. 2022 Mar 15;301:145-153. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.011. Epub 2022 Jan 7.

    PubMed 35007642

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing The BRIDGES (In Brussels, Resilience and Inclusion for Depression through Guidance, Exercise and Support) intervention in people with Inactive People and Depression, run by Université Catholique de Louvain at 1 site in Belgium.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Depressive symptoms (time frame: Throughout the entire study, during approximately 15 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07422909, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Jun 2026.

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