Conceptual framework for establishing twins prevention and continuous health promotion programme: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background Twin registries and cohorts face numerous challenges, including significant resource allocation, twins’ recruitment and retention. This study aimed to assess expert feedback on a proposed pragmatic idea for launching a continuous health promotion and prevention programme (HPPP) to establish and maintain twin cohorts.Design A qualitative study incorporating an inductive thematic analysis.Setting Tehran University of Medical Sciences.Participants Researchers with expertise in twin studies participated in our study.Analysis and design Expert opinions were gathered through focus group discussions (FGDs). Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the findings and develop a model for designing a comprehensive, long-term health promotion programme using ATLAS.ti software. Additionally, a standardised framework was developed to represent the conceptual model of the twin HPPP.Results Eight FGDs were conducted, involving 16 experts. Thematic analysis identified eight themes and seven subthemes that encompassed the critical aspects of a continuous monitoring programme for twin health. Based on these identified themes, a conceptual framework was developed for the implementation of an HPPP tailored for twins.Conclusion This study presented the initial endeavour to establish a comprehensive and practical solution in the form of a continuous HPPP designed to tackle the obstacles of twins’ cohorts.