Background: Youth physical activity (PA) levels are low, especially among girls and low socioeconomic status (SES) groups, and decline throughout adolescence (Inchley, 2016). To promote PA, an improved understanding of why... [ view full abstract ]
Background: Youth physical activity (PA) levels are low, especially among girls and low socioeconomic status (SES) groups, and decline throughout adolescence (Inchley, 2016). To promote PA, an improved understanding of why some adolescents are active and others not, and how PA experiences change throughout childhood and adolescence, is needed (Wright, 2010).
Purpose: To analyze the biographical, psychosocial, educational and environmental factors related with PA in childhood and adolescence, using a mixed-methods approach.
Methods: A survey about PA correlates was initially conducted on 12th grade students (n=387) of two schools in Lisbon. Cluster analysis identified the characteristics of four groups: active (meet PA guidelines) boys and girls, and inactive boys and girls. A qualitative phase allowed analyzing the voices of sixteen selected adolescents (active/inactive, boys/girls, low/high SES) on their experiences and factors related to PA throughout childhood and adolescence. Data resulting from an individual two-hours in-depth interview was analyzed relying on the constant comparative method.
Results: Active clusters were characterized by presenting more favorable indicators than inactive clusters: doing PA in diverse contexts; PA/PE attitudes; perceived competence; mastery goal orientation and motivational climate in PE. Active adolescents’ voices revealed that they had more enjoyable PA experiences in different contexts and an improved and more stable support from family since early ages, and from friends in middle adolescence. Regardless of lifestyle, girls and low SES youth were more dependent on school or significant other’s support for overcoming PA barriers (negative experiences, low family/friend’s support, access to formal PA).
Conclusion: The mixed-methods approach allowed identifying innovative findings related to the active and inactive adolescents’ perspectives on when, how and why PA changes in different contexts throughout the transition from childhood to adolescence. Consequently, this study allowed discussing new strategies for designing PA promotion programs by taking into account young people’s voices.
• Innovative perspectives on physical education, physical activity, health and wellbeing a
