JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Increasing participation in physical activity can reduce chronic disease risk and improve psychological well-being in both children and adults, and is especially important for 8-to-12 year-old children as they form physical activity patterns that may persist through adolescence and adulthood. As interactions with social, environmental, and psychological factors serve as salient determinants of physical activity participation, family-based physical activity promotion interventions directly targeting these determinants of child, parent, and dyadic physical activity may improve intervention efficacy.

Objective:

This study describes the development of an online theory-based intervention and prior intervention evidence, to increase leisure-time physical activity participation in low-active parent-child dyads.

Methods:

Intervention development followed the six-step intervention mapping framework: (1) needs assessment; (2) intervention program outcomes; (3) program design; (4) program production; (5) intervention planning; and (6) evaluation. Needs assessment included a literature review and qualitative interviews with parent-child dyads (N = 24). Behavior change techniques matched with target behavior psychological determinants were selected and grouped to inform a prototype intervention program developed through participatory design process and co-design workshops. Materials were pilot-tested and refined before final production.

Results:

The process yielded a 13-week intervention including online group workshops (N = 4), online independent study materials, and text message prompts targeting physical activity participation in parents and children, and parent behaviors supportive of behaviors for child physical activity. The evaluation plan included ecological momentary assessments, longitudinal surveys, accelerometer metrics and acceptability interviews.

Conclusions:

The current protocol produced a theory- and evidence-based online intervention for parent-child dyads for subsequent evaluation in a randomized controlled trial.