Parental Views on the Acceptability and Feasibility of Measurement Tools Used to Assess Movement Behaviour of Pre-School Children: A Qualitative Study

Phillips, Sophie M.; Summerbell, Carolyn; Hesketh, Kathryn R.; Saxena, Sonia; Hillier-Brown, Frances C.

Abstract

Movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep) are important for the health and development of pre-school children (aged 3–4 years). There is limited qualitative research examining the acceptability and feasibility of tools used to assess movement behaviours in pre-schoolers. This study explored parental views on various measurement tools in three deprived areas in England, UK (West Yorkshire, County Durham and Northumberland). The study consisted of a demonstration of the different tools (accelerometers, a diary and a questionnaire), directly followed by focus group discussions. Three focus group discussions with a total of eleven parents and carers were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed four main themes: (1) importance of contextual information when using any measurement tool (e.g., child illness, capturing different routines); (2) practical issues associated with devices (e.g., aversion to devices being attached directly to the skin of their child; concern of larger devices during sleep time); (3) encouraging children to wear a device (e.g., making devices attractive to children—‘superpowers’); and (4) presentation of diaries and questionnaires (e.g., age-appropriate movement activities, preference for real-time recording over recall). Practical recommendations for the use of the tools to measure movement behaviours of pre-school children are provided.

Citation

Phillips, S. M., Summerbell, C., Hesketh, K. R., Saxena, S., & Hillier-Brown, F. C. (2022). Parental Views on the Acceptability and Feasibility of Measurement Tools Used to Assess Movement Behaviour of Pre-School Children: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), Article 3733. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063733

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 17, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Mar 21, 2022
• Publication Date: Mar 2, 2022
• Deposit Date: Apr 1, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 6, 2022
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Print ISSN: 1661-7827
• Electronic ISSN: 1660-4601
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 3733
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063733
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1208728