Table 1.
Summary of study characteristics.
| Author[s] | Country | Sample size | Age years (mean) |
Sex (% of sample) | Reported participant ethnicity a | Reported employment status | Reason for referral | Model of social prescribing based on Husk et al 37 (timing of data collected from service users) | Methodological Quality Assessment Score (Max 20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stickley and Hui 23 | England | N = 16 | No data | 50% Female 50% Male | White-British
(n = 13), Black-British (n = 1), Asian (n = 1), Afro-Caribbean (n = 1) |
Not reported | Mental health needs b | Direct referral model
c
Data collected from service users after engagement with social prescribing services, arts-based activities |
19 (Very valuable) |
| Moffatt et al. 21 | England | N = 30 | 62.0 | 47% Female 53% Male |
White-British (n = 24), Black Minority Ethnic (n = 5), White Irish (n = 1) |
Employed (n = 4) Retired (n = 14) Unemployed (n = 12) |
Social isolation and loneliness | Link worker model Data collected from service users during engagement with social prescribing services, various activities |
18 (Very valuable) |
| Kellezi et al. 7 | England | N = 19 | 60.4 | 63% Female 32% Male |
White and/or British (n = 16) d | Employed (n = 9) Retired (n = 10) |
Loneliness | Link worker model Data collected from service users after engagement with social prescribing services, various activities |
17 (Very valuable) |
| Wildman et al. 22 | England | N = 24 | No data | 46% Female 54% Male |
Not reported | Employed (n = 3) Retired (n = 10) Unemployed (n = 11) |
Social isolation | Link worker model Data collected from service users during and after engagement with social prescribing services, various activities |
18 (Very valuable) |
| Roberts and Windle 28 | Wales | N = 120 | 76.7 | 82% Female 18% Male |
Not reported | Not reported | Anxiety depression stress | Link worker model Data collected from service users during and after engagement with social prescribing services, various activities |
15 (Valuable) |
| Hanlon et al. 36 | Scotland | N = 12 | 46.5 e | 50% Female 50% Male |
Not reported | Not reported | Psychological /social problems f | Link worker model Data collected from service users after engagement with social prescribing services** various activities |
20 (Very valuable) |
SPS: Social Prescribing Services.
a
Terminology used by study authors.
b
Mental Health Needs – any of the following: social isolation, loneliness, anxiety, or depression.
c
Direct Referral Model – Referral made from a mental health professional based in primary or secondary care, directly to the community organisation that delivered the social prescribing intervention.
d
Data collection period was not specified but was inferred based on description within the study.
e
Calculated by study authors (MC and CJ).
f
No further detail was provided.