A Cocreated Intergenerational Intervention to Promote Co-Physical Activity in Grandparents and Their Grandchildren:...

Intergenerational physical activity programs hold promise for increasing (co-)physical activity in children and older adults. Many programs, however, lack effectiveness, potentially due to insufficient evidence-based development and limited addressing of both groups' needs, which could result in a lack of fit. Co-creation and tailored approaches could improve program fit and effectiveness. This study details the co-creation of an intergenerational physical activity program, "Ages Get Active." A co-creation approach was adopted with the Behavior Change Wheel as the guiding theoretical framework for the co-creation process. Six grandchildren (five girls; mean age 6.8) and four grandparents (three females; mean age: 63.5) participated in six co-creation sessions, based on the Behavior Change Wheel; eight academic experts and a stakeholder gave input on the results of the co-creation sessions; and 99 grandparents (68 females; mean age 67.0) provided input on barriers, motivators, and mode of delivery to ensure generalizability of the findings. Participants were recruited via schools and social media (Facebook) using flyers. Structured coding was applied to the data of the co-creation sessions to detect themes and patterns, which were categorized according to predefined criteria (e.g., barriers, motivators, content, program, etc.). Descriptive statistics (means, percentages, and frequencies) from the online survey, combined with input from experts, informed the further development of the intervention. The final intervention program comprised four key components: (1) an educational component; (2) eight group-based physical activity sessions; (3) home-based physical activities; and (4) promoting community-based events in the neighborhood. This approach can enhance (co-)physical activity in children and older adults, offering a model for future researchers.