Factors relating to sustainability and scalability of the 'Food, Move, Sleep (FOMOS) for Postnatal Mental Health' program: Qualitative perspectives from key stakeholders across Australia.

ISSUE ADDRESSED

Supporting healthy behaviours (quality diet, physical activity, sleep) through home-based interventions is feasible to improve postnatal mental health. Involving stakeholders in developing interventions is essential for maximising accessibility, implementation and scale-up. This study aimed to identify factors affecting the sustainable implementation and scalability of the Food, Move, Sleep (FOMOS) for Postnatal Mental Health program, including strategies to enhance research-practice translation.

METHODS

Stakeholders (n = 13) involved in promoting physical activity, healthy eating, postnatal and mental health, public health and/or policy participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews, based on PRACTIS Guide recommendations for implementation and scale-up, explored perceptions of program design, implementation and scalability. Reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken. Identified implementation and scale-up strategies were mapped against the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change compendium and PRACTIS Guide.

RESULTS

Individual-level: Targeting multiple systems (primary, tertiary, community-based care) and entry points (early, mid-postpartum) for uptake was important. For equity, screening women in public hospitals, engaging with community agencies and targeting most at-risk women, was suggested. Provider-level: Stakeholders identified strategies to enhance future roll-out (organisations assisting with recruitment). Factors impacting sustainability included high demand for the FOMOS program, and governance around screening and funding; online delivery, connecting with partners and providers and integration into existing services may enhance sustainability. Systems-level: Political support and community champions were perceived important for program dissemination. Nine strategies addressing program uptake, reach, implementation, potential scalability and sustainability were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

For sustainable implementation and potential scalability of a home-based multi-behaviour postnatal intervention, multi-level implementation and scale-up strategies, aligned with existing health systems, policies and initiatives to support postnatal mental health should be considered. SO WHAT?: This paper provides a comprehensive list of strategies that can be used to enhance sustainable implementation and scalability of healthy behaviour programs targeting postnatal mental health. Further, the interview schedule, systematically developed and aligned with the PRACTIS Guide, may serve as a useful resource for researchers conducting similar studies in future.