Title: 24-HOUR MOVEMENT INDEX: EXPLORING THE ACCEPTABILITY AMONG PARENTS
Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Guy Faulkner
Committee members: Dr. Karim Khan, Dr. Liv Yoon
Defence Chair: Dr. Eli Puterman
Abstract:
Background: The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (24HMG) for Children and Youth were introduced in 2016 offering recommendations on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and sleep in a typical 24-hour period to achieve optimal health outcomes. However, a lack of awareness and knowledge about the guidelines among children and parents is a concerning issue and may contribute to the low guideline adherence of Canadian children. A “Movement Index” app is being created to help parents track their children’s movement behaviours through manual data entry and/or a wearable device. The Index would also demonstrate to parents how the combination of their children’s movement behaviours, such as a change in time reallocation, may be associated with different health outcomes. Using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA), this study explores the following objectives: 1) whether the Movement Index is acceptable to parents, 2) what refinements should be made to improve the Movement Index, and 3) are there differences in perceptions of acceptability between mothers and fathers. Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted over Zoom with 22 parents of children 5-11 from across Canada. Interview data was analyzed with thematic analysis using a constant comparative method. Results: Results suggest that the Movement Index is acceptable on three constructs (perceived effectiveness, intervention coherence, social acceptability), mostly acceptable on two (affective attitude, ethicality), and mixed acceptability for the remaining three (burden, opportunity cost, self-efficacy). Discussion: On balance, the Movement Index was found to be acceptable, and the project should proceed with several caveats that need to be addressed regarding accessibility and ethical concerns. The TFA was an effective framework for examining acceptability in the Movement Index, although critical reflections included overlapping constructs and lack of criteria for making a final judgement on acceptability. Future work is required to develop and pilot the Movement Index before further examining its acceptability and usability.