Background: There is increasing availability of, and interest in, wearable activity trackers for children younger than 13 years. However, little is known about how children and parents use these activity trackers or perceive their acceptability. Objective: This study primarily aimed to ascertain parental perspectives on the acceptability and usability of wearables designed to monitor children’s physical activity levels. Secondary aims were to (1) identify practical considerations for future use in physical activity interventions and promotion initiatives; (2) determine use of different features and functions incorporated into the accompanying app; and (3) identify parents’ awareness of their child’s current physical activity levels. Methods: In total, 36 children (18 boys and 18 girls) aged 7-12 years were asked to wear a wrist-worn activity tracker (KidFit) for 4 consecutive weeks and to use the accompanying app with parental assistance and guidance. Each week, one parent from each family (n=25; 21 mothers and 4 fathers) completed a Web-based survey to record their child’s activity tracker use, app interaction, and overall experiences. At the end of the 4-week period, a subsample of 10 parents (all mothers) participated in face-to-face interviews exploring perceptions of the acceptability and usability of wearable activity trackers and accompanying apps. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed descriptively and thematically, respectively. Thematic data are presented using pen profiles, which were constructed from verbatim transcripts. Results: Parents reported that they and their children typically found the associated app easy to use for activity tracking, though only step or distance information was generally accessed and some difficulties interpreting the data were reported. Children were frustrated with not being able to access real-time feedback, as the features and functions were only available through the app, which was typically accessed by, or in the presence of, parents. Parents identified that children wanted additional functions including a visual display to track and self-monitor activity, access to the app for goal setting, and the option of undertaking challenges against schools or significant others. Other barriers to the use of wearable activity trackers included discomfort of wearing the monitor because of the design and the inability to wear for water- or contact-based sports. Conclusions: Most parents reported that the wearable activity tracker was easy for their child or children to use and a useful tool for tracking their children’s daily activity. However, several barriers were identified, which may impact sustained use over time; both the functionality and wearability of the activity tracker should therefore be considered. Overall, wearable activity trackers for children have the potential to be integrated into targeted physical activity promotion initiatives.

Background: Wearable technology interventions combined with digital behavior change resources provide opportunities to increase physical activity in adolescents. The implementation of such interventions in real-world settings is unknown. The Raising Awareness of Physical Activity (RAW-PA) study was a 12-week cluster randomized controlled trial targeting inactive adolescents attending schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas of Melbourne, Australia. The aim was to increase moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity using (1) a wrist-worn Fitbit Flex and app, (2) weekly challenges, (3) digital behavior change resources, and (4) email or text message alerts. Objective: This paper presents adolescents’ and teachers’ perceptions of RAW-PA in relation to program acceptability, feasibility and perceived impact, adolescent engagement and adherence, and the potential for future scale-up. Methods: A mixed methods evaluation of the RAW-PA study assessed acceptability, engagement, feasibility, adherence, and perceived impact. A total of 9 intervention schools and 144 intervention adolescents were recruited. Only adolescents and teachers (n=17) in the intervention group were included in the analysis. Adolescents completed web-based surveys at baseline and surveys and focus groups postintervention. Teachers participated in interviews postintervention. Facebook data tracked engagement with web-based resources. Descriptive statistics were reported by sex. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results: Survey data were collected from 142 adolescents at baseline (mean age 13.7 years, SD 0.4 years; 51% males) and 132 adolescents postintervention. A total of 15 focus groups (n=124) and 9 interviews (n=17) were conducted. RAW-PA had good acceptability among adolescents and teachers. Adolescents perceived the intervention content as easy to understand (100/120, 83.3%) and the Fitbit easy to use (112/120; 93.3%). Half of the adolescents perceived the text messages to be useful (61/120; 50.8%), whereas 47.5% (57/120) liked the weekly challenges and 38.3% (46/120) liked the Facebook videos. Facebook engagement declined over time; only 18.6% (22/118) of adolescents self-reported wearing the Fitbit Flex daily postintervention. Adolescents perceived the Fitbit Flex to increase their physical activity motivation (85/120, 70.8%) and awareness (93/119, 78.2%). The web-based delivery facilitated implementation of the intervention, although school-level policies restricting phone use were perceived as potential inhibitors to program roll-out. Conclusions: RAW-PA showed good acceptability among adolescents attending schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and their teachers. Low levels of teacher burden enhanced their perceptions concerning the feasibility of intervention delivery. Although adolescents perceived that RAW-PA had short-term positive effects on their motivation to be physically active, adolescent adherence and engagement were low. Future research exploring the feasibility of different strategies to engage adolescents with wearable technology interventions and ways of maximizing system-level embeddedness of interventions in practice would greatly advance the field.

Little is currently known about the physical activity patterns of workers in physically demanding populations. The aims of this study were to (a) quantify firefighters’ physical activity and sedentary time within (2-h periods) and across planned burn shifts; and (b) examine whether firefighters’ activity levels during one shift or 2-h period was associated with their activity levels in the following shift or 2-h period. Thirty-four salaried firefighters (26 men, 8 women) wore an Actical accelerometer for 28 consecutive days. Time spent sedentary (SED) and in light- (LPA), moderate- (MPA) and vigorous-intensity physical activity (VPA) were derived using validated cut-points. Multilevel analyses (shift, participant) were conducted using generalised linear latent and mixed models. Firefighters spent the majority of a planned burn shift (average length 10.4 h) or 2-h period engaged in LPA (69% and 70%, respectively). No significant associations were observed between SED and physical activity levels between consecutive planned burned shifts or 2-h periods. The physical activity that a firefighter engaged in during one shift (or 2-h period) did not subsequently affect their physical activity levels in the subsequent shift (or 2-h period). Further research is needed to establish how workers in physically demanding populations are able to sustain their activity levels over long periods of time.

Firefighters are exposed to numerous stressors during wildfire suppression, including working in hot temperatures and sleep restricted conditions. Research has shown that when sleep restricted, individuals choose foods higher in carbohydrates, fat, and sugar, and have increased cravings for calorie dense foods. However, there is currently no research on the combined effect of heat and sleep restriction on snacking behaviour. Conducting secondary analyses from a larger study, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of heat and sleep restriction on snacking behaviour and food cravings. Sixty-six firefighters completed three days of simulated physically demanding firefighting work and were randomly allocated to either the control (n = 18, CON; 19 °C, 8 h sleep opportunity), sleep restricted (n = 16, SR; 19 °C, 4-h sleep opportunity), hot (n = 18, HOT; 33 °C, 8 h sleep opportunity), or hot and sleep restricted (n = 14 HOT + SR; 33 °C, 4-h sleep opportunity) condition. During rest periods firefighters were able to self-select sweet, savoury, or healthy snacks from a ration pack and were asked to rate their hunger, fullness, and cravings every two hours (eating block). Mixed model analyses revealed no difference in total energy intake between conditions, however there was a significant interaction between eating block and condition, with those in the CON, HOT, and HOT + SR condition consuming significantly more energy between 1230 and 1430 compared to the SR condition (p = 0.002). Sleep restriction and heat did not impact feelings of hunger and fullness across the day, and did not lead to greater cravings for snacks, with no differences between conditions. These findings suggest that under various simulated firefighting conditions, it is not the amount of food that differs but the timing of food intake, with those that are required to work in hot conditions while sleep restricted more likely to consume food between 1230 and 1430. This has potential implications for the time of day in which a greater amount of food should be available for firefighters.

Emergency nursing is a physically demanding occupation yet research suggests they do not meet current physical activity guidelines. Current interventions have had limited effectiveness increasing nurses’ physical activity, possibly due to a failure to acknowledge physical activity in another domain (e.g., occupational). This study aimed to determine the bidirectional associations between emergency nurses’ occupational and leisure time activity levels on work days. Data from 49 emergency nurses (44 females and five males) wearing an ActiGraph accelerometer and completing work and sleep diaries for up to four weeks were analysed. An activPAL inclinometer was simultaneously worn by 41 nurses. Time spent in different activity levels and postural positions during work and leisure time were determined. Multi-level analyses examined bidirectional associations between emergency nurses’ activity levels at work and during their leisure time. Moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity prior to a morning shift was associated with more sedentary time and less physical activity at work. Conversely, occupational stepping time was associated with more sitting, standing and stepping time after each shift. These findings provide critical insights into how and when researchers should intervene to facilitate adequate recovery for nurses’ post-shift and balance competing demands on their leisure time.