Feasibility Of Qualitative Geospatial Methods To Explore Physical Activity In Children With Developmental Disabilities

One in 20 children live with a developmental disability (DD). These children experience significant barriers to physical activity (PA) participation. Greater contextual information regarding their PA behaviours and preferences is needed for effective PA promotion. PURPOSE: To investigate the utility of Geographic Positioning Systems (GPS) and Fitbits with follow up map-based interviews to describe and understand PA behaviours and context in children with DD. METHODS: In this mixed methods study, 15 children with DD were recruited from across British Columbia, Canada, in summer 2022. Participants wore a Fitbit (Charge 4) and a GPS device (QStarz) for 7 days to assess PA (steps/day) and PA location. Intraday Fitbit data was extracted to REDCap via API. Fitbit and GPS data were processed through a custom in-house algorithm to time-align device data, to validate wear time (≥600 min/d), and to identify PA locations and trip mode (walk, car). Geographic Information Systems (GIS ArcMap) was used to create maps from each child’s device data to guide follow up virtual semi-structured interviews with child and parent participants to understand PA contexts and perceptions of daily PA. Statistical analyses were performed in R, with significance set at p < 0.05. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Six children had autism, 3 had attention deficit disorder, and 6 had both (age 10 ± 2 yrs; 100% boys). Mean steps/d were 8680 ± 4267 across 5 ± 1 days. Compared with older boys (10-12 yrs), younger boys (7-9 yrs) had significantly higher step counts at home (2795 ± 3271 vs. 1671 ± 1958, p = 0.03) and on weekdays (10585 ± 4244 vs.7404 ± 3587, p = 0.005). Overall, the most common trip mode was by car (23 ± 51 min/d). Children provided insight on their preferences for PA locations using the maps. Parents also gave context to their child’s PA by expressing how disability type affects PA and identifying key environmental factors in PA locations (e.g., proximity to busy roads). CONCLUSION: Utilizing Fitbits and GPS with follow up map-based interviews are feasible to describe PA behaviours and contexts in children with DD. This methodology has the potential to provide novel insight on daily PA in children with DD, which can inform how future interventions and programs can support these children to be active.