Background: Effectiveness of interventions to ameliorate the health effects of sedentary behaviour is scarce, despite the rapid growth in research in the area. Heterogeneity of outcomes, measured and reported, contribute to the lack of evidence. There is an increasing need for standardisation of a minimum or essential set of data to be included in sedentary behaviour research. This minimum dataset of core outcomes can provide the framework for multi-disciplinary research and practice.
Objectives: to identify and validate by consensus, a core set of domains and items (‘what to measure’) for reporting change in objectively measured sedentary behaviour in interventional studies, using a Delphi approach.
Method: A recent systematic literature review will be used to identify outcomes and measures reported in sedentary behaviour (SB) interventional research. The research team will categorise the extracted data into data domains and data items specifically relating to core outcomes and measures, with explanatory notes provided for each item (core outcome set COS V.0). International SB experts (n=5) will review the proposed COS to identify additional items and provide feedback. Additional items and recommendations will be included into CROSBI V.1. Wider consensus will be achieved by inviting members of the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network (SBRN) (n>500 active members) and additional suitable participants identified by the expert group (snowball sampling), to review and provide feedback on the proposed CROSBI via an online electronic Delphi survey. Two rounds of the Delphi will be issued requesting participants to rate the importance of each proposed domain item. Feedback and additional items identified in round one of the Delphi will be incorporated into round two. Consensus achieved in the second round will be finalised by the research team into a final COS (CROSBI). The results will be published in an international peer reviewed journal and among sedentary behaviour research networks
Conclusion: Using a robust methodology, the standardisation of core outcome measures for inclusion in sedentary behaviour research will enhance synthesis of evidence and meta-analysis of data. This COS will be useful for all researchers, clinicians, public health policymakers or patient registries, interested in understanding the effects of sedentary behavior.
Keywords: Sedentary behaviour, Stationary behaviour, Physical inactivity, Outcome Measures, Core Outcome Set, Minimum Dataset.
Fiona Curran is a PhD Candidate at University College Dublin.
Dr. Grainne O Donogue Associate Professor is the supervisor of the PhD
Disease Category: Public health
Disease Name: N/A
Age Range: 16 - 70
Sex: Either
Nature of Intervention: Any
- Clinical experts
- Researchers
- COS for clinical trials or clinical research
- Delphi process
- Systematic review
Expert group development & 2 round Delphi consensus process