An acknowledgement letter
Dedication to all those who have been supporting and helping me.
Since publicizing the research on July 18, I’ve been able to enroll 17 of 20 potential participants and have their consent for a first round of interviews. Although they are of different genders, ages, and backgrounds, what they have in common is a love of living in this beautiful land and a passion for integrating physical activity into mobile health intelligence and forming their own exercise habits.
During a one-hour interview, we explored long term concerns about weight and health conditions; physical, behavioral, mental and psychosocial changes resulting from using mHealth for physical activity over time; roles of mHealth in supporting physical activity and improving overall wellness and how it impacts on whanau and community support.
It is unexpected that the first phase of the recruiting process is proceeding so well and there is increasing number of participants with interest in participation. It means a tremendous confidence and motivation for me to persevere in the whole journey of my PhD study.
It is with deep appreciation that I write to the following people who have been supporting me:
To my two incredible supervisors, Dr Karen Day and Assoc. Prof. Michelle Honey, it is beyond my barren words to say how much I am indebted to them. I feel so fortunate to have them in my life as teachers and friends.
To all participants currently involved in the study program, I appreciate their enthusiasm in responding to the study, their kindness in sharing their wonderful stories and insights with me, and their willingness to give their valuable time to support my research, which means a significant deal to me.
To management teams at the UOA Recreation Centre and AUT Millennium Gym for enabling me to promote the study. As a someone who understands the value of teamwork in scientific endeavors, I deeply appreciate this acknowledgment and support.
To the UOA FMHS for offering junkmail and research website and the FMHS-PGSA for providing newsletters as the main web-based promotion platforms for the study, which helped me to gain a steady increase of potential participants in the early stage of the study.