Table 3 Strategies used to enhance the acceptability of the intervention
Strategy | Purpose |
|---|---|
Personalise messages with participant’s name a few times each week | Increase engagement |
Add researcher’s name a few times each week (this would be a therapist for a large trial and/or at rollout of the intervention) | Increase engagement Provide credibility of the intervention Messages from humans are preferred |
Mention the participant’s therapist name on two occasions during first 2 weeks | Provides continuity from rehab services Provides credibility of the intervention |
Mention goals set with the therapist on discharge from rehabilitation | Provides continuity from rehab services Encourage participants to continue with and build on work done with the therapists |
Use weekly themes, e.g. goal setting, self-monitoring, benefits of walking, coping planning and problem-solving, developing routines and habits | Provide structure and opportunity to develop a theme over the period, i.e. explain the concept, suggest how to do it, model the behaviour by examples from a person with stroke |
Ask direct questions and rhetorical questions. Participants would be able to reply to messages (which would be received by the research team). However, they would not receive a reply in return | Increase engagement and interactivity Encourage reflection on progress |
Use quotes from other stroke survivors (taken directly from interviews with people with stroke) | Provides credibility of the intervention Helps participants feel they are not the only one facing the challenges Encourage participants to try what others have done or consider what they could achieve |
Use the voice of other people with stroke to pass on hints and tips about being active | Avoids didactic instruction. Interviewees made it clear that people did not want to be told what to do |
Incorporate humorous trivia, usually loosely related to physical activity, to increase appeal to a heterogeneous group | Increase engagement, encourage interactivity Used at the weekend to help provide structure |
Schedule message delivery between 10 am and 5:00 pm on weekdays and 10:45 am and 7:10 pm at the weekends | Avoid early mornings and evening as fatigue is often a problem. Some people have carers at those times |
Incorporate guidelines for physical activity after stroke explained using a physiotherapists voice | Raise awareness of guidelines without telling people what they should be doing Provides credibility |
Suggest online opportunities to be active suggested (credible sites recommended by therapists) | Provide credible options for different forms of physical activity |