Currently accepted at: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Mar 3, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Mar 4, 2026 - Apr 29, 2026
Date Accepted: Oct 12, 2026
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
This paper has been accepted and is currently in production.
It will appear shortly on 10.2196/94581
The final accepted version (not copyedited yet) is in this tab.
Investigating 24-hour movement behaviours in young people with Learning Disabilities in Scotland: A Study Protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
Physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and sleep play a key role in the health and development of young people (Carson et al., 2016; Chaput et al., 2016; Poitras et al., 2016). This has led to the development of guidelines on PA, SB and sleep for children and young people aged 5-17 years (Health, 2017; Tremblay et al., 2016).
Objective:
To provide pilot data to capture 24-hour Movement Behaviours (24-hrMBs) of young people with learning disabilities in Scotland and in addition obtain the perceptions of young people’s views on the barriers and facilitators to achieving the 24-hrMBs.
Methods:
Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study will recruit up to 60 participants aged 12 to 17 years with learning disabilities living in Scotland. 24-hr MBs will be objectively measured for seven days using Actigraph (GT3x) accelerometers. Data from the Actigraph will be complemented by self-reported screen time and sleep data collected from parent and youth diaries. Personalised activity profiles will be generated for young people and their families creating an accessible overview of participants’ 24-hr MBs. Qualitative data will be collected using semi-structured interviews which will help to identify potential barriers and facilitators. The quantitative data will be presented through descriptive analysis and qualitative data will be analysed thematically employing deductive and inductive analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
Results:
As of March 2026, six schools have been approached, and 47 parent and participant information sheets have been provided. This has led to 21 participants being recruited, and currently 12 participants have provided full data.
Conclusions:
It is anticipated that this study will help guide future studies and help improve the protocols that are to be adopted with this specialist population. Fundamentally the aim is to gather data to inform the design, implementation and analysis of interventions that support young people with learning disabilities to adhere to the 24-hr MBs. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
Citation
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Copyright
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