Parental Perspectives of a Wearable Activity Tracker for Children Younger Than 13 Years: Acceptability and Usability Study
Parental Perspectives of a Wearable Activity Tracker for Children Younger Than 13 Years: Acceptability and Usability Study
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DOI：
10.2196/13858
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发表时间：
2019-11-04
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Ridgers, Nicola D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Mackintosh, Kelly A.;Chappel, Stephanie E.;Ridgers, Nicola D.
背景：针对13岁以下儿童的可穿戴活动跟踪器的可用性和兴趣越来越大。然而，鲜为人知的是，儿童和家长如何使用这些活动跟踪器或感知其acceptance.Objective：本研究的主要目的是确定家长的观点，旨在监测儿童的身体活动水平的可穿戴设备的可接受性和可用性。次要目的是（1）确定未来在身体活动干预和推广活动中使用的实际考虑因素;（2）确定配套应用程序中包含的不同功能和功能的使用情况;（3）确定父母对其子女当前身体活动水平的认识。方法：总共有36名7-12岁的儿童（18名男孩和18名女孩）被要求连续4周佩戴腕戴式活动跟踪器（KidFit），并在父母的帮助和指导下使用附带的应用程序。每周，每个家庭的一位家长（n=25; 21位母亲和4位父亲）完成一项基于网络的调查，以记录他们孩子的活动跟踪器使用情况、应用程序交互和整体体验。在为期4周的研究结束时，10名父母（均为母亲）的子样本参与了面对面的访谈，探讨了可穿戴活动跟踪器和配套应用程序的可接受性和可用性。定量和定性的数据进行了分析，分别为连续性和主题。主题数据使用笔配置文件，这是从逐字记录构建。结果：家长报告说，他们和他们的孩子通常发现相关的应用程序易于使用的活动跟踪，虽然只有步骤或距离信息一般访问和一些困难解释的数据报告。孩子们对无法获得实时反馈感到沮丧，因为这些功能和功能只能通过应用程序获得，而应用程序通常由父母访问或在父母在场的情况下访问。家长们发现，孩子们想要更多的功能，包括一个视觉显示来跟踪和自我监控活动，访问应用程序来设定目标，以及选择对学校或其他重要的人进行挑战。使用可穿戴活动跟踪器的其他障碍包括不适的穿着显示器，因为设计和无法穿的水或接触为基础的sports.Conclusions：大多数家长报告说，可穿戴活动跟踪器很容易为他们的孩子或孩子使用和跟踪他们的孩子的日常活动的有用工具。然而，确定了几个障碍，这些障碍可能会影响长期持续使用;因此，应考虑活动跟踪器的功能和可穿戴性。总体而言，儿童可穿戴活动跟踪器有可能被整合到有针对性的身体活动促进计划中。
Background: There is increasing availability of, and interest in, wearable activity trackers for children younger than 13 years. However, little is known about how children and parents use these activity trackers or perceive their acceptability.Objective: This study primarily aimed to ascertain parental perspectives on the acceptability and usability of wearables designed to monitor children's physical activity levels. Secondary aims were to (1) identify practical considerations for future use in physical activity interventions and promotion initiatives; (2) determine use of different features and functions incorporated into the accompanying app; and (3) identify parents' awareness of their child's current physical activity levels.Methods: In total, 36 children (18 boys and 18 girls) aged 7-12 years were asked to wear a wrist-worn activity tracker (KidFit) for 4 consecutive weeks and to use the accompanying app with parental assistance and guidance. Each week, one parent from each family (n=25; 21 mothers and 4 fathers) completed a Web based survey to record their child's activity tracker use, app interaction, and overall experiences. At the end of the 4-week period, a subsample of 10 parents (all mothers) participated in face-to-face interviews exploring perceptions of the acceptability and usability of wearable activity trackers and accompanying apps. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed descriptively and thematically, respectively. Thematic data are presented using pen profiles, which were constructed from verbatim transcripts.Results: Parents reported that they and their children typically found the associated app easy to use for activity tracking, though only step or distance information was generally accessed and some difficulties interpreting the data were reported. Children were frustrated with not being able to access real-time feedback, as the features and functions were only available through the app, which was typically accessed by, or in the presence of, parents. Parents identified that children wanted additional functions including a visual display to track and self-monitor activity, access to the app for goal setting, and the option of undertaking challenges against schools or significant others. Other barriers to the use of wearable activity trackers included discomfort of wearing the monitor because of the design and the inability to wear for water- or contact-based sports.Conclusions: Most parents reported that the wearable activity tracker was easy for their child or children to use and a useful tool for tracking their children's daily activity. However, several barriers were identified, which may impact sustained use over time; both the functionality and wearability of the activity tracker should therefore be considered. Overall, wearable activity trackers for children have the potential to be integrated into targeted physical activity promotion initiatives.