Sleep, Eat, Move, Repeat (SEMoRe)

This protocol summarises plans for a feasibility study of Sleep, Eat, Move, Repeat (SEMoRe), an intervention designed for young people in care which aims to boost mental health and wellbeing by targeting sleep, dietary, and physical activity habits.

Quality sleep, a balanced diet, and regular exercise can be crucial for mental wellbeing. Establishing healthy habits such as these during childhood and adolescence can have a lasting positive impact on mental health throughout their lives.

The intervention, delivered by Coram and Redbridge London Borough Council, includes training sessions for professionals, workshops on sleep, diet, and exercise, up to 12 direct sessions conducted by a systemic psychotherapist with young people and their carers, individual support as required, and input on the child’s wellbeing through information on sleep, diet, and exercise.,

We have commissioned the Centre for Evidence and Implementation to conduct a feasibility study, seeking to determine if the intervention can be effectively implemented within the service system and if it is considered suitable by foster carers and local authority staff. Additionally, it will assess the feasibility of data collection procedures and set the foundation for future evaluations and programme scale-up.

Research questions

• Feasibility: Can SEMoRe feasibly be delivered as intended, and does it fit with the service system?
• Acceptability and appropriateness: Is SEMoRe viewed as appropriate and acceptable by carers and practitioners?
• Readiness for a trial and process evaluation: How feasible are data collection procedures (e.g., collection of Fitbit data, child self-report, adult report, data from LA management information services) and what might trial processes look like?

How will we go about it?

The study will involve SEMoRe staff, Redbridge London Borough Council staff, and recipients of the SEMoRe programme, including children and foster carers. Foster carers will collect data on their children’s well-being, sleep, and activity levels through measures like the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), as well as Fitbit data. These will form the primary outcomes. Additionally, 16 interviews will be conducted with foster carers and SEMoRe/local authority staff to assess the program’s acceptability and feasibility. The results will help us to understand the potential for larger-scale implementation and/orimprovements to the model, and the feasibility of a future impact evaluation.