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Assessing the acceptability of an adapted preschool obesity prevention programme: ToyBox‐Scotland

Malden, Stephen; Reilly, John J.; Hughes, Adrienne; Bardid, Farid; Summerbell, Carolyn; De Craemer, Marieke; Cardon, Greet; Androutsos, Odysseas; Manios, Yannis; Gibson, Ann‐Marie

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Authors

Stephen Malden

John J. Reilly

Adrienne Hughes

Farid Bardid

Marieke De Craemer

Greet Cardon

Odysseas Androutsos

Yannis Manios

Ann‐Marie Gibson



Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is a global public health issue. Interventions to prevent the onset of obesity in the early years are often implemented in preschool settings. The ToyBox intervention was delivered across Europe and targeted energy balance‐related behaviours in preschools and children's homes through teacher‐led activities and parental education materials and was adapted for use in Scotland. This study assessed the acceptability of the 18‐week adapted intervention to both parents and teachers. Methods: Mixed methods were employed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Preschool staff and children's parents/caregivers completed post‐intervention feedback surveys, from which acceptability scores were calculated and presented as proportions. Focus groups were conducted with preschool staff, whereas parents/caregivers participated in semi‐structured interviews. A thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data following the development of a coding framework. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using SPSS and NVivo 10, respectively. Results: Preschool staff rated the intervention as highly acceptable based on post‐intervention feedback surveys (80%; mean score 8.8/11). Lower acceptability scores were observed for parents/caregivers (49%; 3.9/8). Nine preschool practitioners participated in focus groups (n = 3). User‐friendliness of the intervention materials, integration of the intervention with the curriculum, and flexibility of the intervention were identified as facilitators to delivery. Barriers to delivery were time, insufficient space, and conflicting policies within preschools with regard to changing classroom layouts. Parental interviews (n = 4) revealed a lack of time to be a major barrier, which prevented parents from participating in home‐based activities. Parents perceived the materials to be simple to understand and visually appealing. Conclusions: This study identified a number of barriers and facilitators to the delivery and evaluation of the ToyBox Scotland preschool obesity prevention programme, which should be considered before any further scale‐up of the intervention.

Citation

Malden, S., Reilly, J. J., Hughes, A., Bardid, F., Summerbell, C., De Craemer, M., …Gibson, A. (2020). Assessing the acceptability of an adapted preschool obesity prevention programme: ToyBox‐Scotland. Child: Care, Health and Development, 46(2), 213-222. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12736

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 14, 2020
Online Publication Date Jan 14, 2020
Publication Date Mar 31, 2020
Deposit Date Feb 17, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Child: Care, Health and Development
Print ISSN 0305-1862
Electronic ISSN 1365-2214
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 46
Issue 2
Pages 213-222
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12736

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Malden, Stephen, Reilly, John J., Hughes, Adrienne, Bardid, Farid, Summerbell, Carolyn, De Craemer, Marieke, Cardon, Greet, Androutsos, Odysseas, Manios, Yannis & Gibson, Ann‐Marie (2020). Assessing the acceptability of an adapted preschool obesity prevention programme: ToyBox‐Scotland. Child: Care, Health and Development 46(2): 213-222, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12736. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.




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