Children’s Voices in Physical Activity Research: A Qualitative Review and Synthesis of UK Children’s Perspectives (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
Purpose: Establishing healthy lifestyle behaviours in primary school children is important, as these behaviours are likely to track into adulthood. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing physical activity (PA) in primary school children through their perspectives. Approach: Eleven focus group discussions and one interview were conducted with 52 children (n = 29 girls) aged 9-12 years from two primary schools in Singapore. Data analyses were conducted using thematic analysis, deductively following the socio-ecological model (SEM) and inductively for themes at each SEM level. Results: At individual level, children's perceived enjoyment, health benefits and expectation of rewards motivated them to engage in PA, while time constraints and their apathy towards PA hindered PA engagement. Children's PA occasions at home were reported to be influenced by parental permission, priorities and availability, and the availability of preferred peers. Physical environmental factors such as opportunities for PA in school, access to facilities for PA and weather influenced children's time spent on PA and the types of activities they engaged in. Conclusion: This study summarized some factors that children have reported to influence their PA behaviour. These findings could help inform future interventions aimed at promoting PA among primary school children in Singapore.
2008
Background: Physical activity and small screen recreation are two modifiable behaviours associated with childhood obesity and the development of chronic health problems. Parents and preschool staff shape behaviour habits in young children. The aims of this qualitative study were to explore the attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding of parents and carers of preschool-age children in relation to physical activity and small screen recreation and to identify influences upon these behaviours. Methods: This research involved a focus group study with parents and carers of the target population. A purposive sample of 39 participants (22 parents, 17 carers) participated in 9 focus groups. Participants were drawn from three populations of interest: those from lower socioeconomic status, and Middle-Eastern and Chinese communities in the Sydney (Australia) metropolitan region. Results: All participants understood the value of physical activity and the impact of excessive small screen recreation but were unfamiliar with national guidelines for these behaviours. Participants described the nature and activity patterns of young children; however, the concept of activity 'intensity' in this age group was not a meaningful term. Factors which influenced young children's physical activity behaviour included the child's personality, the physical activity facilities available, and the perceived safety of their community. Factors facilitating physical activity included a child's preference for being active, positive parent or peer modelling, access to safe play areas, organised activities, preschool programs and a sense of social connectedness. Barriers to physical activity included safety concerns exacerbated by negative media stories, time restraints, financial constraints, cultural values favouring educational achievement, and safety regulations about equipment design and use within the preschool environment. Parents considered that young children are naturally 'programmed' to be active, and that society 'de-programs' this behaviour. Staff expressed concern that free, creative active play was being lost and that alternate activities were increasingly sedentary. Conclusion: The findings support the relevance of the socioecological model of behavioural influences to young children's physical activity. In this age group, efforts may best be directed at emphasising national guidelines for small screen recreation and educating families and carers about the importance of creative, free play to reinforce the child's inherent nature to be active.
BMC Pediatrics, 2012
Background: Establishing healthy physical activity (PA) behaviours in early childhood is important for future PA behaviours. Parents play a central role in young children's PA. However, there is currently little research on parenting interventions to increase child PA. This study was formative work to inform the content of a pilot randomised-controlled trial. Methods: In-depth telephone interviews were carried out with 32 parents of 6 to 8 year old children residing in two areas that varied in their socio-economic characteristics, in Bristol, UK. Data were analysed thematically using a framework approach.
Boing, Boing Like a Kangaroo": Children's Experiences of Physical Activity
2015
The London 2012 Games promised to inspire a new generation of more physically active people. Significant investment was made into sport and physical education in preparation for the Games. However the 2012 Health Survey England survey still found that 75% of 5-7 year olds failed to meet the UK Chief Medical Officers' recommendations for daily physical activity (Eastwood, 2014:36). Current literature identifies a range of motivations associated with physical activity and adolescents. There is a gap in child-centred research which reports what motivates children aged 5-11 years to be physically active. The aims of this small-scale qualitative study are to help fill those gaps and increase understanding of how one group of 5-11 year olds experience physical activity in their free-choice time. An ethnomethodology and child-centred methods of data collection and analysis are used in order to build understanding from what children themselves do and say. Research is carried out with ch...
Children’s perceptions of factors related to physical activity in schools
Educational Research, 2018
Background: Increasing numbers of children are facing health problems as a result of physical inactivity. Besides the home, school is a natural place to promote children's daily physical activity (PA). Knowledge about factors promoting or preventing children's PA at school, from the perspective of children, is limited. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to learn the factors that eight-and nine-year-old schoolchildren identify from their school environment related to physical activity during their school day. This study was established as a sub-project within a larger, sixteencountry collaboration project by HEPCOM (Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity in Local Communities) and reports on a piloting phase. Sample: Finnish second-graders (age 8-9 years, n = 22) from one primary school participated in the study. Method: A photo-elicitation methodology was used, including photographs taken by children and interviews in groups based on the photographs. The data were analysed qualitatively by inductive content analysis. Results: The children described factors appearing in the physical environment, such as the playground, and those in the nonmaterial, abstract environment, such as the weather. According to the findings, three categories emerged: (1) personal and economic, related to children's individual preferences and opportunities; (2) sociocultural, related to friends and belonging in a group; and (3) environmental, related to physical and political outdoor and indoor solutions at the school, as well as to policies and rules in the school community. Children emphasised the importance of friends and games, but play areas were also experienced as significant. Based on children's experiences, rules and laws direct all activities at school, which was not always perceived as a positive thing. Conclusions: Although the findings of this small-scale study cannot be generalised, the children's perceptions suggest some crucial areas for future research. Playing and exercising during the school day are important in fulfilling the recommendations for daily PA for children, as well as in promoting their mental and social health. To enable equal possibilities for an active lifestyle for all children at school, positive and encouraging adults, as well as age-appropriate and safe infrastructure, are needed. The children's day should be viewed as a whole, not as single situations, where physical activities are offered.
Frontiers in Public Health, 2019
Introduction: A vast majority of children and adolescents are physically inactive. As a result, high obesity rates and related diseases have made physical activity promotion a politically relevant topic. In order to form the basis for political decision making, evidence is required regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions for physical activity promotion. In contrast to previous research, this systematic review of reviews targets three key settings (family and home, childcare, school), and is among the largest to have been conducted. Methods: A systematic review of reviews was conducted as part of a large-scale project to develop national recommendations for physical activity promotion in Germany. Six electronic databases were searched and inclusion criteria were defined. Two independent reviewers screened the titles and abstracts of potentially relevant literature. 213 reviews were identified and categorised by target group. A total of 74 reviews were identified dealing with children and adolescents. Each review underwent a quality assessment. Results: 39 reviews with the highest quality and relevance were analysed. Three reviews focused on the family and home setting, 4 on the childcare setting, 28 on the school setting and 4 on other settings. Evidence revealed the key role played by parents in promoting physical activity in children within each setting. Furthermore, evidence pointed toward the efficacy of multi-component interventions in the childcare and school setting. Several evidence-based intervention strategies were identified for childcare facilities and schools. Discussion: The review of reviews identified a number of promising strategies for PA promotion among children and adolescents. Among reviews, multi-component interventions in childcare facilities and schools stand out prominently. At the same time, the review of reviews indicated that there is still a lack of studies on the efficacy of interventions that go beyond the individual level. We recommend that future research Messing et al. Physical Activity Promotion: Young People should also target community and policy level interventions and interventions other than the school setting. In order to make more specific recommendations regarding the scale-up of promising intervention strategies, further knowledge about the effectiveness, health equity and cost effectiveness of interventions is needed.
Health education …, 2006
A systematic review was conducted to examine the barriers to, and facilitators of, physical activity among young people (11-16 years). The review focused on the wider determinants of health, examining community-and society-level interventions. Four trials and 16 studies of young people's views were included. Evidence for the effectiveness of the interventions was limited, with some suggestions of improvements in knowledge and possible differences according to gender. Young women in particular identified barriers to physical activity associated with certain ways of providing physical education in schools. Young people in general identified a need for increased choice and facilities within the community and emphasized physical activity's social side. Some of the barriers and facilitators identified by young people had been addressed by 'soundly evaluated' effective interventions but significant gaps were identified where no evaluated interventions appear to have been published (e.g. initiatives explicitly addressing gender issues or the combination of sport and other leisure activities), or where there were no soundly evaluated interventions. Rigorous evaluation is required particularly to assess initiatives that address the limited practical and material resources that young people identify as barriers to physical activity.
European Physical Education Review, 2016
Facilitators and barriers to recess physical activity are not well understood. To date, research on recess physical activity has predominantly focused on quantitative measures typically focusing on a narrow set of predefined factors, often constructed by adults. To really understand the factors affecting recess physical activity it is crucial to observe and listen to children to know how they engage in and perceive recess physical activity. The aim of this paper was to gain knowledge on children’s perceptions and experiences of factors influencing their physical activity behaviour during recess. Data were collected in three separate studies using different qualitative approaches: participant observation; go-along group interviews and participatory photo interviews. The studies were conducted among 10–13-year-old children (grades 4–6) in 17 Danish schools and in five New Zealand schools among 11–12-year-old children. The socio-ecological model was used as the overall theoretical fram...