ORCID
- Thompson, Tom: 0000-0002-6366-9743
- Callaghan, Lynne: 0000-0002-0766-645X
- Hazeldine, Emma: 0000-0003-0152-6322
- Quinn, Cath: 0000-0003-4644-4603
- Byng, Richard: 0000-0001-7411-9467
- Annison, Jill: 0000-0002-5441-6525
- Taylor, Adrian: 0000-0003-2701-9468
Abstract
IntroductionPeople with experience of the criminal justice system typically have worse physical and mental health, lower levels of mental well-being and have less healthy lifestyles than the general population. Health trainers have worked with offenders in the community to provide support for lifestyle change, enhance mental well-being and signpost to appropriate services. There has been no rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing such community support. This study aims to determine the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a randomised trial and delivering a health trainer intervention to people receiving community supervision in the UK.Methods and analysisA multicentre, parallel, two-group randomised controlled trial recruiting 120 participants with 1:1 individual allocation to receive support from a health trainer and usual care or usual care alone, with mixed methods process evaluation. Participants receive community supervision from an offender manager in either a Community Rehabilitation Company or the National Probation Service. If they have served a custodial sentence, then they have to have been released for at least 2 months. The supervision period must have at least 7 months left at recruitment. Participants are interested in receiving support to change diet, physical activity, alcohol use and smoking and/or improve mental well-being. The primary outcome is mental well-being with secondary outcomes related to smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and diet. The primary outcome will inform sample size calculations for a definitive trial.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the Health and Care Research Wales Ethics Committee (REC reference 16/WA/0171). Dissemination will include publication of the intervention development process and findings for the stated outcomes, parallel process evaluation and economic evaluation in peer-reviewed journals. Results will also be disseminated to stakeholders and trial participants.Trial registration numbersISRCTN80475744; Pre-results.
DOI
10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023123
Publication Date
2018-06-01
Publication Title
BMJ Open
Volume
8
Issue
6
ISSN
2044-6055
Organisational Unit
Peninsula Medical School
First Page
e023123
Last Page
e023123
Recommended Citation
Thompson, T. P., Callaghan, L., Hazeldine, E., Quinn, C., Walker, S., Byng, R., Wallace, G., Creanor, S., Green, C., Hawton, A., Annison, J., Sinclair, J., Senior, J., & Taylor, A. (2018) 'Health trainer-led motivational intervention plus usual care for people under community supervision compared with usual care alone: a study protocol for a parallel-group pilot randomised controlled trial (STRENGTHEN)', BMJ Open, 8(6), pp. e023123-e023123. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023123
