Co-creating physical activity interventions: Findings from a multiple case study using mixed methods.

Area of Science:

• Health promotion and physical activity interventions.
• Co-creation methodologies in research and practice.
• Intervention implementation science.

Background:

• Growing interest in co-creation approaches involving researchers and non-academic stakeholders for developing health interventions.
• Previous success of cooperative planning in capacity building and intervention implementation within nursing care and automotive mechatronics.
• Uncertainty regarding the transferability of cooperative planning to new settings and its influencing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the transferability of cooperative planning for physical activity promotion to new settings.
• To identify key factors influencing the success or failure of cooperative planning in intervention implementation.

Main Methods:

• Multiple case study design across three settings in nursing care and automotive mechatronics.
• Mixed methods approach including document analysis (n=17), questionnaires (n=66), and interviews (n=6).
• Quantitative data analyzed descriptively and using nonparametric ANOVAs; qualitative data analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Main Results:

• Cooperative planning was successfully transferred, with interventions developed and implemented in nursing care settings, but only developed in automotive mechatronics.
• Eleven key factors influenced intervention implementation: champion, commitment, embedment, empowerment, engagement, health-promoting leadership, ownership, relevance, resources, responsibility, and strategic planning.
• Transferability was influenced by activity characteristics: elaboration & reconsideration, group composition, number of meetings, participation, period, prioritization, and researchers' input & support.

Conclusions:

• The success of cooperative planning for physical activity promotion is setting-dependent and influenced by various activity characteristics and key factors.
• Complex relationships exist between these factors, suggesting that some settings may benefit more from co-creation than others.
• Future co-creation initiatives require careful consideration of specific setting characteristics to select and apply the most appropriate approach for successful intervention implementation.