Attitudes, Norms, and Control: What Is Shaping Fijian Children's Physical Activity and Screen Time Behaviours?

Activity and screen time were reported by caregivers rather than measured with a device, so the figures may be wrong through poor recall or because families gave the answers they thought were expected. It was an online survey, so families without reliable internet were less likely to take part: 77% of caregivers had a university degree against 23% nationally, and only 2% of responses came from the Eastern Division. For some analyses there were few children in the comparison group, which produced imprecise estimates and wide confidence intervals. The 16.529 figure for younger children's happiness belief is an example. The sample may not represent all demographic and geographic areas of Fiji, and 1015 caregivers took part but only 699 children completed their own section. Everyone answered once, at a single point in time, so the study shows which beliefs and behaviours go together but not which came first, and it cannot show that changing a belief would change the behaviour.

Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT 1176858). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Do not read the large odds ratios as evidence that changing what a child believes will change what they do. Every family was surveyed once, so the study cannot show which came first, and nothing in it tested a programme. The biggest number, that 5 to 8 year olds who thought activity would make them happier were 16.529 times more likely to meet the activity guideline, came with a confidence interval running from 1.227 to 222.665, which is very little certainty.