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1.
Health Promot Pract ; : 15248399241255376, 2024 Jun 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38845227

ABSTRACT

Active school travel (AST) is an effective approach for increasing children's physical activity and independent mobility, but policy supporting AST is lacking. This study aims to explore children's experiences of AST to inform a policy recommendation. Photovoice methodology with a qualitative approach was applied, with children taking pictures on their way to school. This was followed by focus groups where the children explored their experiences of AST based on their photos. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results show that the children valued independent mobility and wanted to be involved in decisions about their travels; they also expressed feelings of increased responsibility and personal growth as a consequence. Although the children recognized areas of improvement regarding infrastructure, especially regarding heavy traffic that jeopardized travel safety, they continued using AST. Finally, the children talked about the value of the health and environmental benefits of AST. Opportunities for friendship, play, and making decisions about their own time were highlighted as important incentives. The benefits from AST are many for children, as well as for society. The result has informed policy recommendations for AST, and the children's input will be used to communicate the recommendations. Listening to the voices of children could be a steppingstone toward forming future healthy mobility initiatives. In that process, it is key to include children's perspectives when formulating the AST policy for successful adoption and implementation.

2.
J Aging Stud ; 69: 101229, 2024 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38834252

ABSTRACT

Ageing in place is an imminent concern for both older couples and communities. Identifying ways to support ageing in place is required to meet the needs and challenges of older couples and social services systems. Through focus groups with a total of 46 participants and a constant comparative methodology, this study aimed to explore and describe the experiences and reasoning of spousal carers, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders regarding possibilities for older couples to age in place. The findings consisted of one main category, 'Facilitating ageing in place is a win-win situation with challenges' and four interrelated categories, 'Focus on older couples - building relationships and providing adequate services', 'Engaged civil society as a source of care and social inclusion,' 'Motivated professionals with competence and time,' and 'Services working together for a sustainable society,' that present possibilities and challenges for ageing in place. This study suggests that facilitating ageing in place is possible but involves a complex series of challenges that can be linked to different contexts ranging from individuals and couples to civil society, services provided, organisational systems, and existing resources. All these aspects need to be considered and balanced to achieve a situation that contributes to older couples' possibilities to age in place as well as to a sustainable society.


Subject(s)
Caregivers , Focus Groups , Independent Living , Humans , Aged , Female , Male , Caregivers/psychology , Aging , Spouses/psychology , Aged, 80 and over , Middle Aged , Social Support , Health Personnel/psychology
3.
Syst Rev ; 13(1): 47, 2024 01 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38291491

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Over the last decades, the prevalence of AST has decreased significantly. Barriers to active school transport (AST) have been extensively examined in the literature, while psychosocial factors that facilitate AST have received less attention. To our best knowledge, there are currently no reviews on this subject. Therefore, the objective of this review was to scope the literature and identify published research about psychosocial factors related to AST. METHODS: Systematic searches conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, TRID, Scopus, and ERIC resulted in a total of 1933 publications, and 77 of them were considered eligible for this review. RESULTS: The results of the included articles were categorised into four psychosocial factors: confidence in ability, attitudes, social support, and social norms, which were all generally positively related to AST, with a few exceptions. CONCLUSION: The findings of this review indicate that these psychosocial factors may be important to consider when developing interventions and highlight that both children and parents should be involved in the process. This knowledge can serve as a valuable guide for developing interventions to promote AST. However, the evidence base supporting these psychosocial factors requires further investigation to fully understand how and when to incorporate them to maximise AST efficacy.


Subject(s)
Schools , Transportation , Child , Humans , Transportation/methods , Attitude
4.
Digit Health ; 9: 20552076231203630, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37766904

ABSTRACT

Background: Preventive and scalable interventions, accessible to all, to counteract childhood obesity are urgently needed. We have recently developed a novel, digital parental intervention (MINISTOP 2.0 app) available in Swedish, Somali, Arabic and English. We have previously reported its positive effects on children's health behaviors and on parental self-efficacy. However, before introducing the app at scale in primary child healthcare, implementation aspects also need to be explored. Aim: This study aims to explore and describe user experiences as well as acceptability and feasibility of the MINISTOP 2.0 app-based intervention in a diverse group of parents (end-users) and Swedish child healthcare nurses (implementers). Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with Swedish- (n = 9), Somali- (n = 9), Arabic- (n = 5) and English-speaking (n = 1) parents as well as Swedish primary child healthcare nurses (n = 15). Data was analyzed using content analysis with an inductive latent approach. Results: Parents described how the app facilitated behavior change through increased awareness regarding current diet and physical activity behaviors. Furthermore, the evidence-based app content further facilitated trust and behavior change. Both parents and nurses acknowledged the app's preventive potential and the potential for reaching parents with diverse backgrounds or in need of extra support. Conclusion: The MINISTOP 2.0 app was perceived as a useful tool for health promotion both by parents and healthcare professionals, especially since it was adapted to several languages. These findings coupled with the previously shown beneficial effects on health behaviors support the large-scale implementation of the app in primary child healthcare.

5.
Health Promot Int ; 38(2)2023 Apr 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36932992

ABSTRACT

Insufficient physical activity among children is a critical issue and health promoting initiatives are required to reverse this trend. In response to the current situation, a school-based intervention aiming to increase physical activity with the aid of active school transportation (AST) was implemented in one municipality in northern Sweden. By adopting the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior, we aimed to analyse beliefs among parents whose children were or were not involved in the AST intervention. All municipality schools were included. There were 1024 responses from parents, comprising 610 who responded either 'yes' or 'no' to participating in the intervention. An adjusted linear regression analysis showed that children's intervention participation was significantly associated with more positive beliefs towards AST among parents. These results indicates that it is possible to influence beliefs that are important in the parental decision-making process by the use of an AST intervention. Therefore, to make children's active transport to school the more favorable choice for parents, it seems to be worthwhile to not only give children the opportunity to participate but also to involve parents and address their beliefs when designing interventions.


Not enough physical activity among children is an important issue and health promoting initiatives are needed to reverse this trend. In response to the current situation, a school-based intervention aiming to increase physical activity using active school transportation (AST) was implemented in one municipality in northern Sweden. Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework, we aimed to analyse beliefs among parents whose children were or were not involved in the AST intervention. Children's participation in the intervention was significantly associated with more positive beliefs towards AST among parents. These results indicate that it is possible to influence beliefs that are important in the parental decision-making process by the use of an AST intervention. Therefore, to make children's active transport to school the more favourable choice for parents, it seems to be worthwhile to not only give children the opportunity to participate but also to involve parents and address their beliefs when designing interventions.


Subject(s)
Exercise , Transportation , Humans , Child , Exercise/physiology , Transportation/methods , Schools , Parents , Sweden
6.
JMIR Serious Games ; 10(1): e31638, 2022 Mar 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35285815

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Most children and adolescents in Sweden do not meet the recommended daily physical activity levels of the World Health Organization. Active school transport (AST) and gamification are potential methods for increasing children's daily physical activity. We previously developed a game named Tic-Tac-Training for promoting active transport at workplaces; however, the game has not been applied to AST. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are to investigate how Tic-Tac-Training functions to promote AST among schoolchildren in northern Sweden, improve the game to be more suitable for schoolchildren, and construct a road map for future development based on children's ideas. METHODS: First, we developed Tic-Tac-Training using the Scrum agile software development method. Second, we conducted a questionnaire-based formative evaluation of the game with schoolchildren (n=16; 9/16, 56% male; 6/16, 38% female; and 1/16, 6% other aged 11-12 years) in Luleå, Sweden. Third, we conducted focus group interviews with 33 children (13/33, 39% male and 20/33, 61% female aged 12-13 years) to gather ideas for gamifying AST. We mapped the interview results to the Octalysis gamification framework and established a road map for future development. RESULTS: The formative evaluation revealed several issues, including a lack of interesting game features, lack of support for continuous engagement, disliked competitive features, and lack of incentives for discourse and participation. New features such as rewards, collectibles, and levels were implemented based on the results. The focus group interviews revealed additional ideas for gamifying AST, such as using avatars, in-game currency and trading, and context-sensitive tasks. CONCLUSIONS: The results have several potential impacts on how reusable, gamified AST interventions can be developed and what kind of gamification elements schoolchildren in northern Sweden wish to see. These results can interest game researchers and teachers who wish to apply gamification in school contexts. Finally, we aim to continue developing the game based on the road map.

7.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34770168

ABSTRACT

Children generally do not meet the recommendation of 60 min of daily physical activity (PA); therefore, active school transportation (AST) is an opportunity to increase PA. To promote AST, the involvement of parents seems essential. Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the aim was to develop and validate the PILCAST questionnaire to understand parents' intentions to let their child cycle or walk to school. Cross-sectional sampling was performed, where 1024 responses were collected from parents. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable fit indices for the factorial structure according to the TPB, comprising 32 items grouped in 11 latent constructs. All constructs showed satisfying reliability. The regression analysis showed that the TPB explained 55.3% of parents' intentions to let the child cycle to school and 20.6% regarding walking, increasing by a further 18.3% and 16.6%, respectively, when past behavior was added. The most influential factors regarding cycling were facilitating perceived behavioral control, positive attitudes, subjective and descriptive norms, and for walking, subjective and descriptive norms. The PILCAST questionnaire contributes to a better understanding of the psychological antecedents involving parents' decisions to let their child cycle or walk to school, and may therefore provide guidance when designing, implementing and evaluating interventions aiming to promote AST.


Subject(s)
Intention , Walking , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Schools , Surveys and Questionnaires
8.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth ; 9(3): e26159, 2021 03 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33666554

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) is common and associated with negative health outcomes for both mother and child. Mobile health-delivered lifestyle interventions offer the potential to mitigate excessive GWG. The effectiveness of a smartphone app (HealthyMoms) was recently evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. To explore the users' experiences of using the app, a qualitative study within the HealthyMoms trial was performed. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study explored participants' engagement and satisfaction with the 6-month usage of the HealthyMoms app. METHODS: A total of 19 women (mean age: 31.7, SD 4.4 years; mean BMI: 24.6, SD 3.4 kg/m2; university degree attainment: 13/19, 68%; primiparous: 11/19, 58%) who received the HealthyMoms app in a randomized controlled trial completed semistructured exit interviews. The interviews were audiorecorded and fully transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis with an inductive approach. RESULTS: Thematic analysis revealed a main theme and 2 subthemes. The main theme, "One could suit many: a multifunctional tool to strengthen women's health during pregnancy," and the 2 subthemes, "Factors within and beyond the app influence app engagement" and "Trust, knowledge, and awareness: aspects that can motivate healthy habits," illustrated that a trustworthy and appreciated health and pregnancy app that is easy to use can inspire a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy. The first subtheme discussed how factors within the app (eg, regular updates and feedback) were perceived to motivate both healthy habits and app engagement. Additionally, factors beyond the app were described to both motivate (eg, interest, motivation, and curiosity) and limit (eg, pregnancy-related complications, lack of time) app engagement. The second subtheme reflected important aspects, such as high trustworthiness of the app, increased knowledge, and awareness from using the app, which motivated participants to improve or maintain healthy habits during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: The HealthyMoms app was considered a valuable and trustworthy tool to mitigate excessive GWG, with useful features and relevant information to initiate and maintain healthy habits during pregnancy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03298555; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03298555. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/13011.


Subject(s)
Mobile Applications , Adult , Child , Diet , Exercise , Female , Humans , Personal Satisfaction , Pregnancy , Smartphone , Weight Gain
9.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth ; 8(8): e19380, 2020 08 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32755889

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is globally recognized as a major risk factor for morbidity, particularly the incidence of noncommunicable diseases. Increasing physical activity (PA) is therefore a public health priority. Engaging in active transportation (AT) is a viable approach for promoting daily PA levels. Mobile health interventions enable the promotion of AT to a larger population. The Smart City Active Mobile Phone Intervention (SCAMPI) study was a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the ability of a behavior change program delivered via a smartphone app to motivate participants to increase their PA by engaging in AT. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study aims to examine the acceptance and user experience of the app promoting AT that was used in the SCAMPI trial (the TRavelVU Plus app). METHODS: A total of 17 residents of Stockholm County (13 women; age range 25-61 years) who completed the 3-month app-based behavioral change program (delivered through the TRavelVU Plus app) in the SCAMPI randomized controlled trial during 2018 agreed to participate in a semistructured telephone-based interview. These participants were well representative of the whole intervention group (n=127) in terms of baseline characteristics such as age, sex, and area of residence. The interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an inductive qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The content analysis revealed 2 themes and 4 subcategories. The first theme, "main motivators: monitoring and messages," highlighted that monitoring AT and being able to set weekly goals using the app were the primary motivators reported by study participants. The second theme, "acceptable but modifiable," reflects that the app was well accepted and effectively encouraged many participants to use more AT. Nevertheless, there were functions in the app that require modification. For example, while the semiautomated travel tracking feature was appreciated, participants found it time-consuming and unreliable at times. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes novel insight into adults' experiences of using a mobile app to promote the use of AT. The results showed that the app was well accepted and that self-monitoring and goal setting were the main motivators to engage in more AT. The semiautomated tracking of AT was appreciated; however, it was also reported to be energy- and time-consuming when it failed to work. Thus, this feature should be improved going forward. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03086837; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03086837. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.1186/s12889-018-5658-4.


Subject(s)
Mobile Applications , Smartphone , Adult , Exercise , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Perception
10.
Int J Circumpolar Health ; 79(1): 1798113, 2020 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32697630

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, there has been a decline in active school transportation (AST). Parents play an important role as the key decision-makers of children's AST, and there is a need of more knowledge about the decision-making process and parents' beliefs towards AST. The overall aim of this study was to explore parents' attitudes and beliefs towards AST in the northern part of Sweden. Twenty parents participated in semi-structured interviews, which was based on the theory of planned behaviour. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the interviews. The analysis yielded one main theme, "Parenting and active school transportation - making route choices in a changed landscape" and four subthemes, "Knowing that it is beneficial while struggling with daily life", "Considering barriers and solutions to enable AST", "Parenting is challenging and about balancing", and "Reflecting and contemplating about what we and others do". Winter conditions affect parents' decisions, and this needs to be considered when facilitating AST in these regions. Overall better health, increased physical activity, time spent outdoors, and free play were revealed as positive outcomes of AST. Decisions were also influenced by social norms and how the idea of parenting has changed through generations. The findings of this study are likely to be important when promoting AST.


Subject(s)
Exercise , Parents/psychology , Transportation/methods , Adult , Arctic Regions , Child , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Male , Middle Aged , Socioeconomic Factors , Sweden
11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32664621

ABSTRACT

There is a global need for sustainable interventions that increase physical activity among children, and active school transportation (AST) can promote physical activity among schoolchildren. Therefore, an intervention based on gamification, empowerment, and social cognitive theory was initiated in 2016 to promote AST. The aim of this study was to follow up on participants' experiences one and two years after the AST intervention was initiated. Data were collected through focus groups and individual interviews which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Thirty-one pupils (2017), and forty pupils (2018) aged 9-10 years, two teachers (2017, 2018) and one principal (2018) participated in the study. The result is presented as one main theme; "Unity for an active community-An intervention towards making the active choice the easy choice" and three sub-themes; "Well begun is half done-Engagement sparks motivation", "It takes two to tango-Keep moving with gamifications and togetherness" and "Jumping on the bandwagon-From project to everyday use." The results show that the concept of the intervention was attractive to re-use and that it created a habit to use AST among the children. Interventions to promote AST can benefit from the use of engagement, togetherness, and gamification.


Subject(s)
Exercise , Motivation , Schools , Transportation , Child , Focus Groups , Humans , Qualitative Research
12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32012973

ABSTRACT

Childhood is a critical period for the acquisition of healthy behaviors, and the promotion of sustainable healthy behavior among children is greatly important. Therefore, an increased understanding of the relationship between grit and physical activity in a school context is needed. The purpose of this study is to describe and develop an understanding of students' and teachers' awareness and experiences concerning grit as a health-promoting factor. Fifty-five students and three teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through the Short Grit Scale and focus group interviews. There were weak to non-significant correlations between the three teachers' ratings of their students' grit and the children's own ratings. The qualitative results show that children and teachers understood the construct of grit but had slightly different perceptions of it and that grit is not considered to be set in stone. The participants made an association between grit, motivation, meaningfulness, and setting goals. The findings indicate that grit might be an ideal target for making physical activity interventions sustainable.


Subject(s)
Exercise/psychology , Motivation , Students/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Female , Focus Groups , Health Behavior , Health Promotion , Humans , Male
13.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth ; 7(4): e12512, 2019 04 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30994465

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is already beneficial at the preschool age. In many countries, young children spend most of their days in the preschool setting, making it a common arena for PA interventions. Mobile health tools are becoming increasingly popular to promote PA in different populations; however, little is known about the interest for and how the preschool setting could incorporate such a tool. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine how teachers and parents perceive PA in preschool-aged children in general and their perceptions of how a mobile phone app could be used to promote PA in the preschool setting. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 teachers (93%, [14/15] women, mean age 43.5 years, 47%, [7/15] with a university degree and 10 parents [91%, 9/10] women, mean age 38.9 years, all with a university degree) recruited from 2 urban preschools in central Sweden. The interviews were recorded, fully transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis by means of an inductive approach. RESULTS: The analysis revealed 4 themes: (1) children are physically active by nature, (2) the environment as a facilitator or a barrier, (3) prerequisites of the adult world, and (4) an app in the preschool setting-challenges and possibilities. Parents and teachers perceived preschoolers as being spontaneously physically active; however, high-intensity PA was perceived as low. The PA was specifically performed during the day in the preschool. Identified facilitators of PA were access to safe and engaging outdoor environments such as forests, spacious indoor areas, and adult involvement. Adult involvement was considered especially important for children preferring sedentary activities. Identified barriers for PA were restricted indoor and outdoor space, rules for indoor activities, and lack of adult involvement because of time constraints. The teachers perceived that they had limited skills and experiences using apps in general, although they also acknowledged the increasing role of technological tools in the curriculum. Thus, the teachers expressed an interest for an app designed as a support tool for them, especially for situations when PA was limited because of perceived barriers. They suggested the app to include accessible information regarding the health benefits of PA in children linked to a library of activities for different settings and seasons. Parents suggested interactive app features including problem-solving tasks and music and dance, but not video clips as they made children passive. CONCLUSIONS: Vigorous PA was perceived as low in preschool-aged children. Future tailoring of interventions in the preschool setting should work around barriers and support facilitators to PA, especially PA of high intensity. In such work, an app could serve as a source of inspiration for PA in different ages, settings, and seasons and thus reduce environmental and structural inequalities in the preschool setting.


Subject(s)
Exercise/psychology , Mobile Applications/standards , Parents/psychology , Perception , School Teachers/psychology , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Interviews as Topic/methods , Male , Middle Aged , Mobile Applications/statistics & numerical data , Qualitative Research , School Teachers/statistics & numerical data , Sweden
14.
J Aging Stud ; 48: 60-66, 2019 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30832931

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to explore how elderly couples, who are in need of social services in the community, act and reason over time regarding their everyday togetherness. Data were generated through repeated interviews and participant observations with three older couples. A narrative method was used for data generation and analysis. The findings present four parallel narratives illustrating how the couples, over time, strove to continue living their lives in togetherness despite the many challenges that had emerged. These narratives show the complexity and variety of strategies that the couples adopted to handle different situations of everyday life and the couples' experiences and feelings connected to these situations. The strategies that the couples used resulted, for example, in performing more activities together in another way, using respite care and reorganizing their social interactions. The spousal caregiver had a leading role to manage day-to-day life and to initiate and perform the strategies. Simultaneously, an important reciprocity existed in their relationship that gave meaning to their efforts of sustaining togetherness. These findings give a deeper understanding of the complexity of their situation and of how meaning is created in their everyday life through enacted togetherness. The findings highlight the need for professionals within social services in the community to embrace a couple's whole situation, involving both partners.


Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living , Adaptation, Psychological , Respite Care , Spouses/psychology , Aged , Female , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Male
15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30650653

ABSTRACT

There has been a decline in children's use of active school transportation (AST) while there is also limited research concerning AST in winter conditions. This study aimed to explore the prerequisites and experiences of schoolchildren and parents participating in an empowerment- and gamification-inspired intervention to promote students' AST in winter conditions. Methods: Thirty-five students, who were aged 12⁻13 years, and 34 parents from the north of Sweden participated in the study. Data were collected using photovoice and open questions in a questionnaire and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The results show that involvement and togetherness motivated the students to use AST. In addition, during the project, the parents changed to have more positive attitudes towards their children's use of AST. The students reported that using AST during wintertime is strenuous but rewarding and imparts a sense of pride. Conclusion: Interventions for increasing students' AST in winter conditions should focus on the motivational aspects for both children and parents. For overcoming parental hesitation with regards to AST during winter, addressing their concerns and empowering the students are key factors. To increase the use of AST all year around, targeting the challenges perceived during the winter is especially beneficial.


Subject(s)
Bicycling , Schools , Seasons , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Parents , Power, Psychological , Students , Surveys and Questionnaires , Sweden , Transportation/methods
16.
Health Promot Int ; 34(6): 1149-1156, 2019 Dec 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30376064

ABSTRACT

To meet the recommendation of 60 min of daily physical activity, children can be encouraged to walk or bike to school, which is known as active school transportation (AST). The aim of this study was to describe parents' attitudes to AST and to explore their experience when implementing interventions to promote it. To explore parent's experiences, we collected pre- and post-intervention data via three questionnaires, using both closed and open questioning techniques. The pre-intervention questionnaire informed development of the intervention. Open-ended questions (pre- and post-) were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. In the intervention, there were 42 children, with 63 parents answering pre-intervention questionnaires and 44 answering a post-intervention questionnaire. The analysis resulted in one main theme: children's motivation and active travel reduces parents' perception of problems, along with three subthemes: parental concerns and suggestions for solutions, children's motivation guides parental choice of transport mode, and trying it changes attitudes. In conclusion, it is beneficial to use the enthusiasm and motivation of children to overcome parental hesitation with AST. In addition, it is critical to acknowledge their concerns, as they are the gatekeepers to the children's use of AST and it is valuable to empower parents when designing relevant interventions. Interventions to increase AST could preferably target changed behavior, and parents' confidence in their children's ability to use active transport in a safe and effective way, vs focusing on changing parental attitudes.


Subject(s)
Exercise , Parents/psychology , Transportation/methods , Attitude , Bicycling , Built Environment , Child , Child Behavior , Female , Health Behavior , Humans , Male , Motivation , Perception , Safety , Self Efficacy , Sweden , Walking
17.
Scand J Caring Sci ; 33(2): 427-435, 2019 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30570154

ABSTRACT

AIMS: The aim is to describe healthcare professionals' perspectives on how they understand and promote older couples' participation in everyday life when using residential respite care. DESIGN AND METHODS: Eighteen healthcare professionals with varying degrees of competence and from one residential respite care facility participated in four focus group interviews. Data were analysed through qualitative latent content analysis. FINDINGS: The findings revealed a broad, multifaceted view of participation and ways in which participation in everyday life is promoted by these professionals. Trustworthy relationships between professionals, spousal caregivers and clients were implicated. Promoting participation also necessitated that clients have access to meaningful activities. In addition, participation entailed an environment that supported various needs. CONCLUSION: Promoting participation for older couples that are using respite care involves multifaceted perspectives that consider social-relational aspects including both the client and their spouse. Furthermore, attention is needed to the meaning a change of context between home and the respite care facility has on relationships, environments and activities in everyday life. Such an approach could benefit the couples' shared everyday life situation and in a wider perspective, also influence their health and well-being when ageing in place together.


Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living/psychology , Caregivers/psychology , Health Personnel/psychology , Health Promotion/methods , Patient Participation/psychology , Respite Care/psychology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Focus Groups , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Qualitative Research , Sweden
18.
JMIR Res Protoc ; 7(5): e123, 2018 May 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29739733

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Physical activity promotes health and learning. However, up to 80% of the children in industrialized countries do not achieve the recommended level of daily physical activity. By encouraging children to use active school transportation (AST), it is possible to increase their overall physical activity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to present the development of an AST intervention using Intervention Mapping (IM) to promote children's physical activity. METHODS: The principles of IM were applied to guide the development of the intervention. The process was divided into 3 phases. First, a literature review and collection of experiences of stakeholders were carried out to gain a broad perspective on the problem and possible solutions. Thereafter, an analysis of the critical environmental and behavioral factors affecting outcome was conducted, which guided the choice of tangible components of the intervention. Finally, a plan of evaluation and implementation was established. RESULTS: A structured program to increase AST among children was developed, consisting of 3 subsequent phases that are described in detail. Implementation took place, and evaluation of the intervention is being carried out. CONCLUSIONS: IM proved to be a valuable method to develop a structured AST intervention for children. By following the steps of the IM process, it became evident that empowerment and gamification are 2 promising avenues to consider when designing AST interventions in a school context. By engaging end users and including important agents, such as parents and teachers, who control the environmental factors, the possibility to design a sustainable program increases. In addition, gamification made it possible to integrate learning into AST, which could motivate schools to devote time and effort to implementing this program.

19.
JMIR Serious Games ; 6(1): e1, 2018 Jan 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29298750

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Physical activity has multiple health benefits; however, the majority of children around the world do not attain the recommended levels of daily physical activity. Research has shown that the game Pokémon GO has increased the amount of physical activity of players and that the game has the potential to reach populations that traditionally have low levels of physical activity. Therefore, there is a need to understand which game components can promote initial and sustained physical activity. By using a qualitative research approach, it is possible to achieve rich descriptions and enhance a deep understanding of the components promoting physical activity among children in a game such as Pokémon GO. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore children's and parents' experiences playing Pokémon GO. METHODS: Eight families comprising 13 children (aged 7-12 years) and 9 parents were selected using purposeful sampling. Data collected using focus groups were analyzed using qualitative latent content analysis. RESULTS: The following three themes were revealed: (1) exciting and enjoyable exploration; (2) dangers and disadvantages; and (3) cooperation conquers competition. The first centers around the present and possible future aspects of Pokémon GO that promote physical activity. The second focuses on unwanted aspects and specific threats to safety when playing the game. The third shows that cooperation and togetherness are highly valued by the participants and that competition is fun but less important. CONCLUSIONS: Components from Pokémon GO could enhance the efficacy of physical activity interventions. Cooperation and exploration are aspects of the game that preferably could be transferred into interventions aimed at promoting children's physical activity.

20.
Scand J Occup Ther ; 25(6): 457-465, 2018 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28602117

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To promote health and well-being, and to meet the desires of the growing elderly population to age in place, elderly spousal caregivers need adequate support such as respite care services. More knowledge is needed about elderly spousal caregivers' experiences in relation to participation, which is an aspect of health that remains relatively unexplored for this group. AIM: To explore and describe how elderly spousal caregivers experience and discuss participation in everyday life when living in shifting contexts due to the use of respite care. METHOD: A grounded theory approach was used during data generation and analysis, which involved repeated focus group interviews with 12 spousal caregivers. RESULTS: Complexity and ambiguity was understood to imbue participation in everyday life. Being in charge of everyday life was challenging for spousal caregivers, and created a need for personal time. Respite care and home care service gave them time, although when interacting with social contexts other issues arose that influenced their own recovery. CONCLUSIONS: A holistic 'situation centered' approach that focuses on the elderly couple's life story and needs might capture a wider perspective and enable adequate support that influences their health, well-being, and participation in everyday life.


Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living , Caregivers/psychology , Spouses/psychology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Grounded Theory , Home Care Services , Humans , Male , Psychosocial Support Systems , Respite Care , Sweden
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