Critique of a Quantitative Study on Mobile App Intervention for Physical Activity and Sleep Health

Running head: Evidence Based Nursing Research 1
Evidence Based Nursing Research
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Evidence Based Nursing Research 2
Introduction
Creswell and Creswell (2017) observe that quantitative research is geared towards collecting
numerical data and making inferences across larger clusters of subjects or to explore a given
phenomenon, thus allowing a researcher to assess the association between two variables of
interest. The research by Murawski et al. (2017) is a quantitative study with randomized
control trial that is designed to assess the effectiveness of using a mobile app intervention to
enhance physical activity and sleep health among adults. The use of a quantitative method
with randomised control trial (RCT) best fits the study because it is about assessing the
effectiveness of an intervention programme in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases by
increasing physical activity and sleep health; a survey that require actual data collection from
individuals (DiCenso, Guyatt, & Ciliska, 2014).
The study seeks to determine the association between physical activity and sleep health in the
treatment of lifestyle chronic diseases. This paper aims at critiquing the study by Murawski et
al. (2017) using the recommended CONSORT 2010 checklist (Schulz, Altman & Moher,
2010) in order to determine the quality of the study in the subject matter.
Studies have shown that enough sleep and physical activity are the major lifestyle behaviours
that considerably reduce mortality rates caused by chronic lifestyle diseases (Schmid, Ricci,
and Leitzmann, 2015). Worldwide statistics indicate that 32% of adults are not physically
active (World Health Organization, 2017) and 24% have poor sleep health (Buman, Philips,
Youngstedt, Kline, & Hirshkowitz, 2014). The association between inadequate sleep and
physical inactivity has been evidenced in research (Bixer, 2009). However, there is no
international research that has assessed both the behavioural changes simultaneously.
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Evidence Based Nursing Research 3
Trial Design
The study used a two-arm trial design alongside a combined intervention on sleep and
physical activity. A two-arm trial approach was most appropriate for the study because it
aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of m-health intervention using an experimental group
and a control waitlist group (Hopewell, Dutton, Yu, Chan, & Altman, 2010).
Most importantly, this approach is significant as it enables researchers to compare the effects
of an intervention with the non-experimental group thus making possible to arrive at specific
conclusions. The allocation ratio used by the researchers was 1:1 in which 80 participants
were each allocated to the two groups. Equality in the sample size in both the experimental
and placebo group ensures that there is no bias in the outcomes. However, Hutchins, Brown,
Mayberry, and Sollecito (2015) found out that the mean intervention effect and effect sizes
were equal despite the size of the placebo group. Therefore, the use of an equal allocation
ratio doesn’t increase the reliability of the findings but instead makes the analysis more
intricate and the study costly.
Participants
The authors have provided eligibility criteria for potential participants using exclusion
criteria. A comprehensive report on the exclusion or inclusion criteria in a quantitative study
is crucial as it shows that the nature of participants who provided data for analysis. This
ensures that the appropriate subjects were used in the study who are well informed on the
study topic. This increases the reliability and validity of the study. The authors have also
indirectly mentioned the location in which they gathered data. The exclusion criteria show
that those who were not residing in Australia during the study were not eligible. However, the
authors do not describe the settings of the locations of data collection due to the nature of the
research which involves data collection using a mobile app at any time of physical activity

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and sleep. Cohen and Crabtree (2008) observe that a description of the setting and context of
the location of data collection is necessary as it indicates as to why participants responded in
a given manner. This minimizes possible biasness in the respondents’ feedback.
Interventions
The intervention for each group has been reported in detailed including the method of
delivery. Whereas the app component includes the responses, educational resources,
individual assessment, and goal setting. The report on detailed procedures on intervention and
the manner in which they were administered is vital as it allows replication. According to
Hedges and Cooper (2009), replicable studies with relatively similar outcomes of the original
research increases the validity of the initial study. Furthermore, studies that are replicable
provides a basis for further studies and review since any errors identified in the method
during the review can be corrected by conducting another research in which the corrections
are accounted for.
Outcomes
The study has thoroughly discussed the expected primary and secondary results and their
measures in addition to the statistical approaches used to assess them. For instance, the
authors explicitly indicate that all measures were to be evaluated through an online survey
after the first three months and later on after six months. Furthermore, the various sub-themes
to be measured under secondary and primary outcomes have also been described in details
alongside the standardized scores and their interpretation based on previous findings. The
process outcomes and mediators and moderators have also been pre-specified and assessed.
The provision of pre-specified primary and secondary outcome measures enables the reader
to quickly understand the findings in relation to the research question or objective. The
inclusion of the various methods or ways of assessment of the outcomes increases the