Promoting PA alongside impairment-based approaches is essential. Incorporating behavior change techniques (BCT’s) described by Michie et al. (2013) such as goal setting and shared decision-making hold promise. Research is needed to determine which of Michie’s BCTs can be used in PPT’s practice. Therefore the goal of this Delphi study was to identify and reach consensus about which BCTs PPTs should incorporate into their daily practice to ensure that children, who seek the assistance of a PPT due to a movement-related issue, participate in PA in the community, such as playing together in a playground or engaging in sports.
The following steps were included in this Delphi study: 1) identification of problem area of research and relevant BCTs by performing a scoping review, 2) selection of panel members, 3) defining consensus and closing criteria (defined as 80% agreement), 4) formulating open-ended questions for the first Delphi round, 5) first Delphi round with open-ended questions to identify relevant BCT’s, 6) creating the questionnaires’ statements based on the scoping review and first Delphi round on a 7 point Likert scale, 7) iterative Delphi rounds with feedback and 8) presenting the final results. Experts are approached when they are PPTs with behavioral change expertise defined as having at least one publication in the last 10 years related to behavioral change and PPT.
Sixteen national and international experts were invited to participate in the first Delphi round, with 11 responding in the first round and 10 in the second. Based on the scoping review and the first round of open questions, 45 BCT’s were selected for the second Delphi round. Preliminary results from the second round indicate that consensus was reached on 11 BCTs, with 80% or more of experts rating these techniques as important or very important. These include goal setting, problem-solving, action planning, reviewing behavioral goals, self-monitoring, using prompts/cues, social support, restructuring the social environment, focusing on past successes and habit formation.
The preliminary Delphi results revealed a consensus on 11 BCTs, such as goal setting, problem-solving, action planning, social support and habit formation. These techniques offer promising strategies for facilitating children’s participation in PA, underscoring the need for PPTs to adopt a more structured, BCT-informed approach in their daily practice.
Facilitating PA in children with disabilities is challenging due to well-known barriers to community participation. PPTs often focus on activities within the clinic, despite community-based PA being more relevant and potentially more effective. The identified BCTs provide opportunities to overcome these barriers within the community and enhance new interventions to promote PA.
physical activity
community-based
