Background
Methods
Ethics
Pilot
Recruitment
Data collection procedures
Follow-up
Data analysis
Results
Incentives for involvement in research
Mother: boy, 9y: I think improved social skills is good, especially for shy children, I know he didn’t seem it but he can be shy sometimes so that’s quite nice to get them active and sort of connect to other people
Mother: boy, 8y: I mean the biggest thing I hope he improves is his social skills…communication with other kids…will get rid of [his] self-consciousness
Mother: girls, 9y and 7y: Well it makes them understand so I think that’s quite important, you know, like doing this [participating in the present study], it makes them understand why things happen so it kind of increases their educational attainment
Mother: boy, 10y: But if there were things where it’s possible to go and enjoy it and … but if there were activities at the weekend that I thought were brilliantly pitched at their level, they would have fun, they’d learn, you know, new bowling skills and it didn’t matter if they didn’t go every week than I would be much more inclined to do it
Mother: boy, 10y: Our priority would be, ‘is it something that I genuinely think they’d enjoy?’
Boy, 7y: The more active you are, the more weight you lose
Girl, 9y: [You would take part in physical activity research] because you don’t want to be fat!
Mother: boy, 10y: But it’s only childcare if it comes with some other things as well so it’s not just any old childcare
Mother: boy, 9y: Providing childcare would be relevant to me ‘cos, as you know, I’m on my own
Father: boy, 10y: Being informed of outcomes, and seeing progress in your child
Box 1 The Robinson family
The Robinson family comprised a mother, father, and two children (James, aged 8, and Natalie, aged 14), and were of a higher socio-economic status than the study average. Their house was located in a quiet village in Cambridgeshire, with a large garden. Both parents were highly educated and very engaged, and were concerned with the educational and social development of James and Natalie. Character-building and personal achievement were frequently cited as important family values. Both Mr. and Mrs. Robinson understood the need to evaluate newly-designed interventions, and agreed that they would encourage James’ involvement if the benefits to his social development (learning to be calm, and patient) were clear. They were also motivated by health and educational outcomes.
Mr. Robinson: … I mean social skills is the sort of thing that Mrs. Robinson was talking about earlier on that sports give you generally and you know, as I said, I’m very sporty so I’ve enjoyed team games, I enjoy individual games and I see the benefits of both of those two, character development and all the rest of it … might be a particular benefit that I would see [for] James.
Mrs. Robinson, who spoke English as a second language, was also interested in research participation as a way of meeting and connecting with other families.
Mrs. Robinson: Provide other connections, that’s important for me because I think I quite enjoy meeting other people and know other people’s life and for him [James] to meet a different kind of group of people.
Mr. Robinson built on these comments, suggesting that participating with children he considered appropriate was also important. He suggested this may be related to class; and that the opportunity for James to interact with children who were well behaved, used suitable language, and provided positive role models, was appealing.
Mr. Robinson: The mixture of kids that he’d be with you know, … he plays tennis with lots of other middle-class kids who play tennis … they have a certain range in common … it’s also about a behaviour thing so giving you a specific example, he plays cricket at school, there’s a kid who is totally disruptive and just destroys the games, the teacher seems unable to deal with it to the point where effectively the parents have started withdrawing the kids from that activity and it’s just about that child’s behaviour and how the parents control that child’s behaviour, the language he uses and all that…
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Mrs. Robinson: And I think if you take James to a group of new people he swears he wouldn’t want to go.
Both parents did not see financial reimbursement as an incentive for involvement in research studies. In fact, Mrs. Robinson declined the offer of vouchers as a thank you for their participation. James was most concerned with improving his skills, and cited learning new things as his primary motivation for being involved in research. This was a surprise to Natalie, who thought he would prioritise having fun. James also echoed his parents’ emphasis on achievement. He discussed his enjoyment of winning, and described himself as a ‘bad loser’. James and his family repeatedly commented on his competitive nature, and how much he enjoys playing against his friends.
James: Winning!
… Facilitator: Yeah, it sounds like competition is really important for you.
Mrs. Robinson: Yeah, he has that drive…
Mr. Robinson: He’s pretty competitive.
Mrs. Robinson: Yeah, he enjoys winning.
When discussing barriers to research participation, James talked about being embarrassed, and concerned about his friends’ reaction. Natalie indicated that he finds some activities ‘too girly’, and therefore would avoid studies featuring such activities. His parents suggested James’ fear of failure or losing may also be relevant.
Mr. Robinson: Mm, fear of failure.
Natalie: Yeah.
… Mr. Robinson: And it’s the flipside of the competitiveness and things and we’ve talked about it often with him that, you know, we’ll go along to something and he’ll say, well I’m going to get beaten by everybody, so how on earth can you know that, you haven’t played this before and so and so.
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Facilitator: Okay, yeah.
Mrs. Robinson: Oh yeah, yeah, and there’s no rational basis to it, it’s just kind of… But it is I think the flipside of that, being very keen on winning and also therefore not wanting to come anywhere other than, nothing less than the top three is allowed basically [Laughs].
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Box 2 The Jones family
The Jones family comprised a mother, father, and two children (Sophia, aged 5 and George, aged 10). Both parents were employed as university academics, and were actively engaged in the discussion. The children were articulate, open and keen to contribute to the conversation. At the close of the session, Mr. Jones and the children walked us to their local park, to demonstrate an area frequently used for ‘free play’. The family felt unstructured activity was important to children’s health and social development, and as such, outdoor space could be an appropriate setting for research. They enjoyed active holidays together (and being in nature); and regularly go trekking, camping, and skiing as a family. Given their profession, it was unsurprising that both parents were aware of, and committed to, the benefits of research participation.
Mr. Jones: … because there is no question that if the programme is well done there is … obvious benefit.
They listed health, educational and social outcomes are key drivers for engagement in physical activity studies. Mr. Jones was particularly keen that the children learn new things, and are offered a range of experiences.
Mr. Jones: … you know, for George to see new things, learn new things and see, you know, just discover new things.
Mrs. Jones however, was more focussed upon the health benefits of physical activity (citing it as an important part of living a balanced life). She was convinced that educating parents was vital, commenting that many know that they should be encouraging more physical activity, but are not sure how to do so. |
Both George and Sophie were particularly keen on learning new skills and challenging themselves, and viewed this as motivation for taking part in physical activity promotion.
George: Well because like that new thing could be sort of very attractive and then like if you know lots of activities like you play them more, like if you only knew how to play football you’ll get bored of football after a while.
Both parents agreed that in trying to ‘sell studies’, an understanding of family context is important. For example, already-active children may be attracted to the social element of a research study, whilst those more sedentary might be encouraged by the opportunity to increase physical confidence and competence. When asked about other incentives for research participation, Mrs. Jones dismissed childcare provision and financial reward as insufficient.
Mrs. Jones: … this is not, the ‘provides childcare’ is not terribly important to me…
Both parents stressed the need for researchers to make the measurable benefits of study participation clear, and to provide regular feedback to families. They suggested that without a perceived return on investment (of time, effort, and/or resources), parents would be unwilling to register their children in a study. Additionally, Mr. Jones commented that sustaining interest through continued contact may increase study retention rates. |
Barriers to involvement
Mother: boy, 10y: If two children of different ages had to be in two places at once that would be difficult
Mother: boy, 10y: But often school clubs finish at what, 4.30 pm, and because they don’t go to bed ‘til 8.30 pm, there’s a four hour gap and often you and your friends, you’ll be either watching TV, or on your Xbox…when actually if there was something really good to do in a sports centre that was absolutely targeted at your age that would be great
Box 3 The Smith family
The Smith family was of lower socio-economic status than the study average and comprised a mother and single child (Tim, aged 9 years). Tim cited great enthusiasm for sport; in particular, he enjoys playing football. The focus group did not capture his full attention, and he was distracted at times (for example, blowing raspberries into the voice recorder). Miss Smith was very engaged in Tim’s development. She was aware of the potential benefits of engaging in physical activity, and ranked improved social skills as a key outcome of interest. Perhaps given the behavioural issues of her son, she was particularly keen on developing positive connections with other families.
Miss Smith: I think improved social skills is good, especially for shy children, I know he didn’t seem it but he can be shy sometimes so that’s quite nice to get them active and sort of connect to other people.
Related to these family constraints, she cited time commitment and scheduling clashes as being key barriers to research participation. She suggested that coordinating her own work, the target child’s time with his father, and paid childcare were difficult – and that adding further scheduled activities would be a challenge.
Miss Smith: Probably time commitment would be a big one for me ‘cos I’m working, Tim’s at school or at the childminders and then he’s at his dad’s and then we struggle to find time to do stuff anyway.
However, the provision of childcare would be an incentive for taking part in a research study, if such time constraints were managed. As a single parent, she suggested that childcare (particularly if there was no cost involved) would be beneficial.
Miss Smith: Yeah, providing childcare would be relevant to me ‘cos, as you know, I’m on my own anyway, so that’s always quite handy to have sort of groups or things that they would go to, yeah.
For Tim, having fun and spending time with friends were of primary importance. During the session, several of his friends attended the family home, asking him to play outside with them. Unsurprisingly, he was not concerned about being healthy, and did not view educational benefits of being sufficiently motivating. Tim did not agree with his mother about being shy; and commented that the only reason he would decline participation in an activity was a lack of interest. |
Tim: Because I’m not really worried or shy or lazy or scared, I’m just not bothered to play it and don’t really like it that much.
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