Table 1 Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist table [21]

Why

Reducing sedentary behaviour prior to surgery has the potential to improve physical function and cardiometabolic health, leading to better post-surgical recovery.

What (materials)

As part of the intervention, a custom-made booklet will be used to aid in delivery of the education, goal setting, and environmental modification components, with space to record adherence to planned actions and environmental modifications.

What (procedures)

The intervention itself consists of a few key procedures:

1. Motivational interviewing to reduce ambivalence towards sedentary behaviour.

2. Education about sedentary behaviour and its negative health consequences.

3. Goal-setting and environmental modification.

4. Self-monitoring using a pedometer and recording of goal adherence.

5. Biweekly phone calls to maintain participant motivation and address issues.

Who provided

The intervention will be delivered solely by a trained researcher (JA), who has had training in motivational interviewing and who designed the intervention and materials. In this manner the intervention delivery will be very consistent.

How

Intervention content will be provided in a face-to-face and one-to-one context.

Where

The intervention and assessment sessions will occur mostly in participants’ own homes, but some sessions can occur at Russells Hall Hospital or at the University of Birmingham.

When and how much

The intervention can be delivered in 120 min in a single session followed by three 10-min biweekly phone calls. However, the study also includes 3 assessment points at baseline, 1 week pre-surgery, and 6 weeks post-surgery. Participants are expected to join the study 8–10 weeks before their surgery, and total study duration may last up to 18 weeks per participant.

Tailoring

As the goals and environmental modifications are the active behaviour change component of the intervention, each participant will have a wholly bespoke experience tailored to their individual capacity for physical function and their lifestyle.

Modifications

Goals and environmental modifications may be altered at any point by the participant if they are finding it hard to achieve, e.g. they could lower their step count target, or alter the frequency of another goal’s occurrence. The researcher will stay informed of these changes using the phone calls.

How well planned (fidelity)

A subset of the motivational interviews will be recorded and assessed for quality against a checklist of motivational interviewing techniques and content. An additional subset of these interviews will be recorded using field notes. A subset of phone calls will be checked for content delivery by the researcher against a purpose-built checklist. Action plans will be checked by an independent reviewer for adequacy, adherence to SMART principles, and appropriateness to the participant.