Views of the public about Snacktivity™: a small changes approach to promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour
85% of respondents liked the Snacktivity™ concept with the flexibility of the approach highly rated. 61% reported the ability to self-monitor their behaviour would help them to do Snacktivity™ throughout their day.
Snacktivity™ is a novel approach that aims to encourage people to do small, 2–5 minute bouts of physical activity ‘snacks’ throughout the whole day, such that they achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week. A survey to assess the views of the public about Snacktivity™ was distributed to adult patients registered at six general practices in the West Midlands, UK, and to health care employees in the region.
The findings provide evidence for the acceptability of a novel and practical method to encourage the population to be less sedentary and move more on both working and non-working days through a small changes approach to promoting physical activity behaviour. Preferences for the ability to receive notifications encouraging the completion of activity snacks and the option to self-monitor behaviour through technology should be considered for the further development of Snacktivity™.
Citation details
Gokal, K, Amos-Hirst, R, Moakes, CA et al. Views of the public about Snacktivity™: a small changes approach to promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour. BMC Public Health. 2022. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13050-x
Acknowledgements
Public Advisory Group (PAG), Birmingham Community Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust, Clinical Research Network, West Midlands and the general practices who supported the study.
The authors would like to thank all those who participated in this research.
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