Supported group exercise showed potential value in German mental health care
An economic analysis found better outcomes with ImPuls plus usual care, while total costs including the program remained uncertain.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In German outpatient care, adding supported group exercise to usual treatment improved symptom scores and quality-adjusted life-years. The economic analysis suggested it could offer reasonable value under the study's willingness-to-pay assumption. That does not mean it saved money: costs including the intervention were estimated to be higher, with substantial uncertainty.
Results reflect the German statutory insurance perspective and the selected willingness-to-pay threshold. This abstract-based analysis does not establish savings or show whether value for money persists beyond the reported follow-up.
What researchers found
Estimated probability of cost-effectiveness
ImPuls plus usual care versus usual care alone at 12 months, assuming willingness to pay €30 000 per quality-adjusted life-year in Germany.
A supported exercise program
ImPuls combined supervised aerobic exercise with later activities supported by behavioral strategies, therapist calls, and an app. The findings apply to this supported program added to usual care, rather than exercise alone.
How value was assessed
The analysis weighed extra costs against quality-adjusted life-year gains using German statutory insurance data. Its value-for-money estimate depends on how much the payer is assumed willing to pay for those gains.
The original publication
Cost-effectiveness of a transdiagnostic group exercise intervention for mental health in Germany (ImPuls trial): an economic evaluation study.
Himmler S, Takano K, Nakagawa T et al.
Lancet Psychiatry · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41616787
- Record checked
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