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Table 1 Steps used to operationalise the MRC framework and their application in this work

From: Participation in physical play and leisure: developing a theory- and evidence-based intervention for children with motor impairments

Steps in previous work24

Steps and research questions in this work

1: Identify mediators of change

1a-c: What are the likely predictors (e.g. impairments, beliefs) of physical play and leisure that could be targeted to increase children's activity and participation?

2: Select (or develop) a theoretical model

2: How do the proposed predictors relate to each other and to activity limitations and participation restrictions in physical play/leisure?

3: Select intervention techniques and specify pathways to change

3a-b: What intervention components (i.e. 'therapeutic activities' and behaviour change techniques) could be used to target the proposed predictors, and what are the hypothesised pathways from these strategies to participation?

4: Operationalise the intervention

4: How can the intervention components best be operationalised so that the intervention is acceptable (to children, parents and professionals) and feasible?

5: Conduct a modelling experiment

5: Which of the intervention components are most likely to have an effect on the outcome(s), and what are the interactions between the components?