Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
Codevelopment of a Digital Screening and Intervention Tool to Improve Lifestyle Habits in Children: Focus Group Study
Alice Moyne1,2,3, Tamara Perez2, Trevor van Mierlo4
1Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Background:
Chronic preventable diseases represent a major burden in Canada, often rooted in unhealthy behaviors established during childhood. Despite recommendations for routine screening, most children are not assessed due to clinical barriers. This paper presents the early development of Project DISCO, a self-administered, digital preappointment tool to screen for and support healthy lifestyle behaviors, including physical activity, sleep, nutrition, and screen time, in children aged 2 to 12 years.
Objective:
This study aimed to explore clinicians' and parents' needs and past experiences with health technology; integrate their insights into the development of a digital tool for promoting health behaviors; and evaluate the usability, relevance, and acceptability of this tool.
Methods:
Three semistructured focus group and interview sessions were conducted with primary care clinicians and parents. Participants were recruited at the Groupe de Médecine de Famille Universitaire Saint-Hubert using purposive and convenience sampling: clinicians were recruited internally, whereas parents of children aged 2 to 12 years were invited via emails sent by clinic staff. Data were analyzed using a combination of inductive and deductive approaches. Findings informed iterative refinements throughout the codevelopment of the digital tool for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors in children.
Results:
A total of 8 participants took part in 6 discussions, including 5 parents of children aged 3 to 12 years and 3 primary care clinicians. Hybrid thematic analysis identified six themes: (1) the potential of a digital tool to promote healthy habits in pediatrics; (2) implementation challenges and opportunities, including integration of the tool into clinical workflow; (3) adherence to and engagement with the tool, with suggestions for reminders and involvement of nurses; (4) perceived limitations and improvement of the screening tool, particularly the nutrition and sleep questionnaires; (5) feedback on the screening report and intervention emphasizing clarity and actionable guidance; and (6) perceived clinical value and opportunity costs. Insights from these discussions guided refinements of the digital tool.
Conclusions:
The findings support the tool's relevance and inform its ongoing development. A feasibility study is planned prior to a randomized controlled trial.
