Is Virtual Instruction an Effective Method to Increase Physical Activity in Children Within the Home Environment?

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent decline in physical activity participation among youth highlighted a need to design and implement physical activity interventions within the home environment. In rapid response to this need, the Interrupting Prolonged Sitting with ACTivity (InPACT) at Home program was developed. InPACT at Home utilizes novel methods through the dissemination of instructor-led exercise videos. The InPACT at Home program has the potential to help children complete a portion of the physical activity recommendations at home however, important answers are needed prior to its classification as an evidence-informed intervention. For the pilot study, a formative evaluation of the InPACT at Home instructor-led exercise videos was conducted by incorporating youth voices. More specifically, we evaluated post-exercise video mood, youth favorite parts of the exercise videos, and recommendations for improvement of the exercise videos. Most youth mood responses were positive (i.e., happy, relaxed, strong), with the mindfulness videos rating the highest and strength the lowest. Youth were satisfied with the video structure, enjoyed having an opportunity to move at home, and reported liking the engaging instructors. Suggestions were also given related to modifying video intensity and length and adding gamification elements. Findings from the pilot study demonstrate that incorporating youth voice in program evaluation may be an important step towards increasing engagement in home-based physical activity programming during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 1 assessed the cognitive load (i.e., quality) of the InPACT at Home instructor-led exercise videos using an evaluation rubric informed by theory. Eighty-five percent of the exercise videos were rated as low cognitive load and 15% were rated as moderate cognitive load. The components most in need of improvement were signaling and call-to-action. Findings from study 1 demonstrate that, on average, the InPACT at Home videos had low cognitive load (i.e., high quality). Future exercise video developers can utilize the evaluation rubric to create adaptations to reduce the cognitive load of current videos and to provide guidance in developing future videos to promote youth physical activity at home. Study 2 used a convergent mixed methods study design to examine the feasibility of the InPACT at Home program. More specifically, this study determined child engagement and attrition in the program and assessed parent/child experiences to identify barriers and facilitators to program engagement during a 20-day challenge. Overall, the program was feasible, with most participants engaging in two exercise videos per day (equating to approximately 13 minutes of physical activity). The barriers identified included individual child factors of their fitness level and perceived video intensity and interpersonal factors of the home environment such as time and space limitations and distractions. The facilitators identified were intervention accessibility, parent support, and child motivation. Study 2 findings suggest that instructor-led exercise videos are feasible and have the potential to provide opportunities for youth to be active at home. However, future studies should assess how program implementers can facilitate tailoring and adapting the program to make it more responsive to individual and family needs. Together, findings from this dissertation provide the foundational information needed to test the effectiveness of the InPACT at Home program to improve the health and well-being of children. Further, this project has added to the existing literature examining the utility of instructor-led exercise videos to promote physical activity in the home environment for youth.