Examining the acceptability of actigraphic devices in children using qualitative and quantitative approaches: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Actigraphy is commonly used to record free-living physical activity in both typically and atypically developing children. While the accuracy and reliability of actigraphy have been explored extensively, research regarding young people’s opinion towards these devices is scarce. This review aims to identify and synthesise evidence relating to the acceptability of actigraphic devices in 5-11-year olds. Methods and analysis: Database searches will be applied to Embase, MEDLINE, PsychInfo and Social Policy and Practice through the OVID interface; and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), British Education Index and CINAHL through the EBSCO interface from January 2018 until February 2023. Supplementary forward and backward citation and grey literature database searches, including Healthcare Management Information Consortium (HMIC) and PsycEXTRA will be conducted. Qualitative and quantitative studies, excluding review articles and meta-analyses, will be eligible, without date restrictions. Article screening and data extraction will be undertaken by two review authors and disagreements will be deferred to a third reviewer. The primary outcome, actigraphic acceptability, will derive from the narrative synthesis of the main themes identified from included qualitative literature, and pooled descriptive statistics relating to acceptability identified from quantitative literature. Subgroup analyses will determine if acceptability changes as a function of the key participant and actigraphic device factors. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review as it uses data from previously published literature. The results will be presented in a manuscript and published in a peer-review journal and will be considered alongside a separate stream of co-design research to inform the development of a novel child-worn actigraphic device.