Tucker et al. BMC Public Health 2011, 11:168 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/168 childcare providers varied, the majority (87%) who parti- cipated were Caucasian. Focus Groups All of the focus groups took place at the childcare centres that employed the majority of participants. Four of the focus groups took place during childcare hours and nine were held in the evening when the centres were closed. One of the focus groups took place at a single-site orga- nization, while the other 12 were held at branches of two different public childcare organizations. Four to 10 child- care providers participated in each of the focus groups. In total, 84 childcare providers (of a possible 214) from 16 childcare centres participated in one of the 13 focus groups for a response rate of 39%. The focus groups each lasted between 1 and 1.5 hours and were facilitated by an experienced moderator and co-moderator using a semi-structured interview guide. Member-checking was undertaken after each question and at the completion of the focus group to ensure the researchers understood the participants accurately. At the end of each focus group, participants completed a brief demographic questionnaire. The focus groups were audio recorded and professionally transcribed verbatim. Data Analysis Inductive content analysis was independently performed by three researchers using QSR NVivo 7. The research- ers met after completing their individual analysis to compare and agree upon the identified themes that had emerged from the focus group data (as described by Miller & Crabtree) [25]. Strategies, as described by Guba and Lincoln [26], were used throughout the data collec- tion and analysis processes to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings (see Table 1), and ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University of Western Ontario’s Office of Research Ethics. Please see van Zandvoort et al. and Tucker et al. for a complete description of the study methods [19,20]. Results Participants discussed the impact of the home environ- ment on physical activity behaviours of preschoolers and the themes that emerged have been captured under the following three themes which are discussed in detail below: 1. parents and the home environment as facilita- tors of physical activity; 2. parents and the home environ- ment as barriers to physical activity; and, 3. suggestions for improving preschoolers’ physical activity behaviours. Parents and the Home Environment as Facilitators to Physical Activity Role Modelling. When asked about the facilitators to enga- ging preschoolers in physical activity while in childcare, in Page 3 of 7 Table 1 Measures to Ensure Data Trustworthiness Credibility Member checking was conducted between each focus group question and at the end of each focus group to make certain that the researchers accurately understood the answers provided by participants. Confirmability Two researchers separately and concurrently performed inductive content analysis, and later met to compare their findings. We scrutinized data for similarities and differences across the interviews, and acknowledged emerging themes. The researchers discussed and prepared a summary of the analysis. Dependability Upon the completion of each focus group, two researchers met to debrief and summarize. Also, the researchers expressed any biases, which were then recorded and considered to ensure that the analyses were not partial to researcher bias. We documented focus group respondents’ demographic information, and focus group location and participation rate for the purpose of an audit trail. Transferability We have explained the research process in detail, thus allowing interested researchers the ability to establish whether our results are transferable to their study and participants. adapted from Irwin et al. 2005[23]; Tucker, Gilliland and Irwin 2007[27]). addition to items related to the childcare setting (see van Zandvoort et al.) [20], a number of participants under- scored the essential role that parents play in providing opportunities for preschoolers to be physically active on a daily basis. For example, one childcare provider said, “we have a lot [of parents] that walk to pick them [their chil- dren] up and walk them home. We have a lot that will ride them on their bikes to school, ...bring them into childcare and then ride their bike home from childcare at the end of the day.” Another echoed, “...we have a few parents that walk to school and home and I think that obviously encourages physical activity.” One childcare provider also emphasized that parents who are physically active them- selves tend to be “...out riding their bikes around, they’re doing things with [their children] and it’s because you don’t [need] to have a lot of money to do things with your child.” Childcare staff highlighted the importance of parental role modeling to encourage physical activity participation among young children and explained that simply playing outdoors is a cost-effective way to facilitate active play. Enrolment in Extracurricular Activities. A few child- care providers also emphasized that many parents enrol their children in organized extra-curricular activities as a source of physical activity outside of childcare hours. One provider explained, “...they [the children] are so involved in soccer and swimming and hockey and all that in their evenings at home; our crowd is active almost every night in their personal lives....” When refer- ring to the children’s out-of-care activities, an additional provider listed, “...swimming lessons, the hockey, the skating, the soccer, and the baseball....” Though this pro- vider went on to explain that not all children are able to