An Iterative Mixed-Method Study to Assess the Usability and Feasibility Perception of CANVAS ^® as a Platform to Deliver Interventions for Children

AbstractDigital healthy eating interventions are an increasingly important tool; however, poor adherence and high dropout rates may compromise efficacy. It is crucial to develop usability and feasibility studies to identify barriers and facilitators of user engagement. A two-iteration mixed-method study was conducted to assess perceptions of the usability and feasibility of CANVAS® as a platform to deliver intervention for children. Both iterations included a guided exploration of the platform, questionnaires (i.e., System Usability Scale and Enjoyment subscale from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory [IMI]), and semi-structured interviews. The sample comprised nine child-parent dyads (i.e., sixth-grade children and their mothers) from a school in which the study was publicized. Overall, participants perceived the platform positively. Facilitators (e.g., enjoyability) and barriers (e.g., lack of digital literacy) were identified. Lastly, participants enrolled in both iterations improved their performance. Data from this study will be critical for the implementation of the intervention.Keywords: Usability studyfeasibility studyonline platformself-regulationhealthy eatingschool-aged children AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to thank Katarina Agudelo and Anushka Deshmukh for the English language editing of the manuscript. A special thanks to Albina Costa and Fernanda Cachada from the Coronado and Castro schools grouping, who helped with participant recruitment and data collection logistics.Disclosure statementThe authors declare no conflict of interest.Data availability statementData are available from the first author upon reasonable request.Additional informationFundingThis study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (Ref.: UIDB/PSI/01662/2020). Additionally, this study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education through national funds (PTDC/PSI-GER/28302/2017), and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028302). Lastly, this study was also supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, through the national funds, within the scope of the Transitory Disposition of the Decree No. 57/2016, of 29th of August, amended by Law No. 57/2017 of 19 July. C.S. was funded by a Postdoctoral research grant awarded by the project “In-person and Online Healthy Eating Promotion through Self-regulation: Assessing the Efficacy of a Narrative-based Intervention”, grant number POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028302. B.P., G.F., C.A., H.O., were supported by Doctoral research grants – SFRH/BD/143469/2019, 2020.07940.BD, 2022.11787.BD, 2022.11647.BD, respectively, – from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. Notes on contributorsPaula MagalhãesPaula Magalhães Júnior Researcher, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. She is interested in the role played by motivation, agency, and self-regulation in the adoption and maintenance of health-related behaviors, namely eating, sleeping, and physical activity; and understanding how gamification can help engage individuals in behavior change.Beatriz PereiraBeatriz Pereira Ph.D. student, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. She is interested in motivation models and the role that self-regulation plays in the promotion of health-related behaviors. She uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore predictors of healthy behaviors and the efficacy of intervention programs.Gabriela FigueiredoGabriela Figueiredo Ph.D. student, School of Psychology, Minho University, Braga, Portugal. Her research interest focuses on the eating domain, family dynamics, psychological implications related to self-regulation and agency processes. She uses qualitative analysis combining triangulation methods and ecological models to develop effective guidance for families and health professionals.Camila AguiarCamila Aguiar Ph.D. student, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. Her areas of interest revolve around procrastination, motivation, and self-regulation processes among youth and adults. In research, she employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to comprehend the impact of procrastination, motivation, and self-regulation on academic and health domains.Cátia SilvaCátia Silva Júnior Researcher, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. Her main research interests focus on childhood obesity, obesity prevention, health promotion in children and adolescents, as well as the development of intervention programs based on self-regulation learning, and technological-aided programs to promote behavioral change.Hélder OliveiraHélder Oliveira Ph.D. student, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. He is interested in using gamification to improve engagement in health interventions and online learning environments. He uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the impact of gamification on engagement and participant’s perceptions regarding gamification.Pedro RosárioPedro Rosário full professor of Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. His current research emphasis falls within self-regulated learning (SRL) and metacognition, and education challenges to prevent early school dropout. He has conducted a number of studies investigating how students learn and improve their SRL competencies.