{
  "abstract": "IntroductionCommon mental disorders pose a profound public health challenge across the United Kingdom (UK), leaving regional health boards with backlogs of patients awaiting formal treatment. Consequently, UK healthcare policy is shifting toward integrated, community-based solutions, placing greater emphasis on social prescribing to sustain mental wellbeing during wait times. Within these community frameworks, mind-body modalities such as yoga have emerged as promising interventions. However, despite growing clinical support for their psychological benefits, their specific socio-economic value remains largely unexplored. This study addresses this limitation by evaluating the social return on investment (SROI) of a five-week Dru Yoga Wellbeing (DYW) Programme delivered to UK participants managing mild-to-moderate mental health conditions.MethodsFollowing UK Cabinet Office guidelines, this multi-site evaluation tracked an intervention across nine UK locations (July–October 2025). Quantitative outcomes (n = 59 baseline; n = 41 complete cases) were monetised using the UK Treasury-approved Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year (WELLBY) metric for life satisfaction and the UK Mental Wellbeing Bank metric for mental wellbeing. Findings were triangulatedwith qualitative data from questionnaires (n = 40) and semi-structured interviews(n = 9). Standard SROI deductions for deadweight, attribution, displacement, and drop-off were applied to ensure analytical rigour.ResultsQuantitative analysis revealed substantial pre- to post-intervention improvements for life satisfaction and mental wellbeing, The SROI analysis yielded a social return of £3.15 for every £1 invested for mental wellbeing, and £4.79 per £1 invested for life satisfaction. Qualitatively, thematic analysis identified key biopsychosocial outcomes: psychological improvement, enhanced social connection, and improved physical wellbeing.DiscussionThe convergence of positive SROI ratios and qualitative biopsychosocial themes suggests that the DYW Programme shows promise as a valuable preventative intervention. Consequently, these preliminary findings indicate that this five-week yoga programme may warrant further consideration within regional social prescribing frameworks, particularly as part of broader efforts to foster community mental health resilience.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "Original Research",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Huw Lloyd-Williams"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ned Hartfiel"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alex T. Friend"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daljit Sandhu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Limssy Varghese"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rhiannon Tudor Edwards"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fsgdqzsn3vtkq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1972650",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "fsgdqzsn3vtkq",
  "issns": [
    "2296-2565"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1972650",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
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      "medicine/epidemiology-public-health"
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  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-09",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fsgdqzsn3vtkq.ris",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "feed-journal:medicine/epidemiology-public-health",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
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  ],
  "title": "Social return on investment of a yoga-based wellbeing programme for social prescribing in the UK",
  "title_text": "Social return on investment of a yoga-based wellbeing programme for social prescribing in the UK",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T18:20:21Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fsgdqzsn3vtkq",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Public Health",
  "versions": []
}