Understanding Physical Activity Motivation And Activity Monitoring Device Preferences For Youth With Visual Impairments: A Pilot Study
Open Access
- Author:
- Colgan, Joanna Cecelia
- Graduate Program:
- Kinesiology
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 04, 2016
- Committee Members:
- Melissa Jean Bopp, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
- Keywords:
- Physical activity
health disparities
visual impairment
physical activity monitoring device
Fuelband
Vivofit
pedometer - Abstract:
- Background: Previous research demonstrates that individuals with visual impairments (VI) are at risk for health-related illnesses attributed to inactivity and low fitness. As patterns of behavior—such as physical activity (PA)—established during childhood and adolescence determine one’s risk of developing chronic disease and illness later in life, this is a crucial time of life in which to target motivation and maintenance of a physically active lifestyle. Few studies have examined the use of PA monitoring devices on PA motivation in general, particularly in children, adolescents, or individuals with VI. The purpose of this study was to determine the possible motivational factors of two popular fitness bands and one talking pedometer on the PA motivation of youth with VI, and whether these factors differ based upon sex or VI level. Methods: Participants consisted of 20 youth (13 males, 7 females, Mage=12.65±2.26) with VI. During a weeklong developmental sports camp for youth with VI, participants were placed in groups of 5 and given the two fitness bands and talking pedometer to wear concurrently. Focus groups were conducted at the end of each day; the sessions were recorded and transcribed. Participants responded to questions based on the social-ecological model (SEM) to discern, relative to these exercise devices, various motivators for PA at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational levels, including: ease of use and access to data, understanding of the data, device preference, interpersonal benefits of using these devices, specific aspects of the devices that were found to be motivating, and suggested changes to the devices. Two researchers developed a coding scheme within an SEM framework using standard qualitative methods and coded responses by VI level, perceived motivation for PA, favorite device, and motivating device components; once consensus was reached, coding was analyzed using NVivo 10. Results: Results included the perceived motivational benefit of using these devices, the variance of device preference based upon VI level and the lack of variance based upon sex, such as a preference for the audible device by those with less vision, and different aspects of each device on three SEM levels that the participants found to be motivating, such as the type of PA measures displayed, the incentive they offered to compete with peers or set PA competition goals, and ways in which the devices could be utilized at the organizational level to improve PA motivation for these participants. Conclusion: Overall, all three PA-monitoring devices were reported to increase the participants’ motivation for PA. Device preference did differ by VI level, with those with less sight preferring the auditory device and those with more sight preferring the Nike Fuelband, which had the best visual contrast. All three devices also had aspects that were found to be motivating at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational levels of the SEM framework, such as the feedback and encouragement they offered, the ability they gave to compete or set goals with peers, and their ability to be used in school physical education classes. In future, the specific motivational aspects of these three devices may be used by PA interventions to increase the PA of this population and decrease rates of chronic illness related to sedentary lifestyle.