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The present study examined the multilayered social contexts that foster or hinder adolescent girls’ participation in physical activity. The current study consisted of two phases, prospective interviews followed by focus group discussions. The interviews utilized a guided, life history format with 7 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 9-15 years old over a 4-year period. Key themes that emerged in the interviews were used to inform the focus group discussions. In total, 4 focus groups discussions were conducted with 13 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 12-13 years old. Both the interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed for themes using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Data analysis was informed by the feminist theoretical approach, with an emphasis on social and contextual factors. The domains of school, family, peers, and embodied experiences of physicality emerged as facilitative contexts to engagement with physical activity during childhood. During adolescence, however, these contexts became barriers to physical activity. This study suggests that physical activity promotion programs for adolescent girls require multifaceted strategies, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnocultural/racial heritage.

The present study examined the multilayered social contexts that foster or hinder adolescent girls’ participation in physical activity. The current study consisted of two phases, prospective interviews followed by focus group discussions. The interviews utilized a guided, life history format with 7 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 9-15 years old over a 4-year period. Key themes that emerged in the interviews were used to inform the focus group discussions. In total, 4 focus groups discussions were conducted with 13 girls of diverse backgrounds, ages 12-13 years old. Both the interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed for themes using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Data analysis was informed by the feminist theoretical approach, with an emphasis on social and contextual factors. The domains of school, family, peers, and embodied experiences of physicality emerged as facilitative contexts to engagement with physical activity during childhood. During adolescence, however, these contexts became barriers to physical activity. This study suggests that physical activity promotion programs for adolescent girls require multifaceted strategies, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnocultural/racial heritage.

Populations in developed and developing countries are becoming increasingly sedentary and the adverse health effects of relatively sedentary lifestyles, the so called lifestyle diseases, are now obvious. However, moderately vigorous physical activity is positively linked via a cause-and-effect relationship with a range of improved health outcomes. Broadly, current physical activity recommendations suggest that adults should achieve a total of at least 30 minutes a day of at least moderate intensity physical activity on five or more days of the week; however, estimates suggest that the majority of adults in the Western World do not meet these recommendations. Many of the factors involved in the initiation and long-term maintenance of physical activity are not fully understood. Considering the rapid pace of technological development and the general move away from labour-based economies, it does appear that the required level of physical activity necessary for optimal health needs to come from leisure-time activity– specifically, planned, regular, moderately vigorous exercise and/or sport. Unfortunately, many people experience great difficulty in engaging with and maintaining a physically active lifestyle and typically there is a rather large gap between what people know to be healthy and what they actually do. The general aim of this project was to design, implement and evaluate the clinical, social and behavioural effectiveness of a buddy-Motivational Interviewing intervention (buddy-MI) in assisting relatively sedentary adults to adopt and maintain regular physical activity for the purpose of improving their cardio-respiratory fitness, health, and quality of life. Specific aims of the intervention included formally involving social support (via the self-selected motivational-buddy) and strengthening individuals’ motivation for and movement toward their physical activity goals. The experimental intervention specifically aimed to extend the MI treatment effect by enhancing participants’ commitment to physical activity over time via intra-treatment social support (support provided within treatment sessions) as well as extra-treatment social support (day-to-day support) provided by the motivational-buddy. A fundamental was to deliver the intervention in a format that could realistically be implemented within typical primary care settings, workplaces, schools or other similar setting: to work towards healthier more active communities and to potentially reduce health system resource utilisation. Using a repeated-measures pragmatic parallel group randomised controlled trial (RCT) design, relatively sedentary adolescents and adults, in stable health, recruited from a university campus population were allocated to one of two interventions. In the experimental intervention, participants were supported by a self-selected motivational-buddy and they received 2-4 sessions of buddy-MI over a period of 12-months (participant determined schedule) as well as pro-active follow-up emails. The control intervention was standard care MI, and the same email follow-up as in the experimental group but without the additional support of a motivational-buddy. The main outcomes were self-reported physical activity, cardio-respiratory fitness and health related quality of life. These primary outcomes were measured at four time-points over the 12-months intervention and follow-up period and quantitative methods were used to analyse the data. Qualitative data were also analysed and presented in relation to the motivational-buddy component of the intervention. The study evaluated the feasibility and incremental effectiveness of motivational-buddy support compared to one-on-one MI in people who had expressed an interest in becoming more physically active. It used a novel intervention design incorporating self-selected motivational-buddies in an effort to mitigate the twin problems of poor adherence and behavioural regression that are commonly associated with physical activity promotion programmes. The intervention was found to have merit and the potential implications for the health-care system, and the wider community, are discussed.

Objectives: Evidence suggests that physical activity reduces symptoms of clinical anxiety and depression, however, very little research has been published about service user’s experiences with physical activity interventions. The ABE Programme is a client-centred, individualised physical activity intervention for people with mental illness delivered by non-government organisation Richmond Services Limited. The objectives of this study were to investigate service users’ outcomes, experiences, barriers to physical activity and contributing factors for physical activity adherence, to make recommendations for health policy, community development, service improvements and further research. Methods: An explanatory concurrent mixed methods design was applied: for the quantitative component a simple quasi-experimental reversal study to analyse participants’ physical (blood pressure, body weight), mental (self-esteem, mental well-being) measures, physical activity level and smoking status; for the qualitative component a descriptive study conducting semi-structured interviews with participants of the programme. Results: Thirty assessment results were available for the quantitative data analysis. Self-esteem, mental well-being and physical activity levels showed significant improvements, whereas physical measurements and smoking status showed no changes. Thirteen interviews were conducted. Qualitative findings reinforced and enhanced quantitative results. Participants’ experiences were physical, psychological and social. Support was important to overcome barriers. Multiple factors contributed to maintaining physical activity. Clients made suggestions related to the support, structure and contents of the programme. Conclusions: The ABE Programme contributes to the improvements of participants’ mental and physical well-being. Professional support is crucial. Improvements are recommended regarding follow-up support, group activities and evidence-based physical activity adherence methods. Emphasis for policy should be on early intervention, collaboration between services and physical activity promotion approaches on multiple levels. Further research is recommended, for example, to develop efficient and cost-effective physical activity adherence approaches. Future research could include single subject studies, surveys and focus groups studies within Richmond and across the wider mental health sector.

A social ecological framework is used in this study to identify health behaviours that have the potential to affect physical activity levels in Interlake youth. Data from two cycles of the Youth Health Survey (YHS) were used to identify which demographic, individual, social and environmental factors were associated with physical activity levels of youth. Boys were found to have higher rates of physical activity than girls. As students got older their physical activity rates declined. Sex, active transportation to school, screen time, healthy eating, self perception of body image, feelings of hopelessness and feeling close to people at school were significantly associated with physcial activity levels. Important differences have been identified between the individual, social and environmental factors that can potentially affect physical activity levels of youth based on the data produced by the Interlake YHS. Individual factors have the strongest association with physical activity levels, followed by environmental factors.

Syfte och frågeställning Syftet med studien är att få ökad kunskap om ungdomars i årskurs 9 förhållande till fysisk aktivitet.  Hur fysiskt aktiva är ungdomar i årskurs 9 på fritiden och i skolan? Hur aktiva är ungdomar i förhållande till de rekommendationer som finns för fysisk aktivitet?  Metod För att nå ut till så många som möjligt valde jag att göra en kvantitativ undersökning. För att allt skulle bli rätt följde jag de forskningsetiska principerna. Undersökningen gjordes på skolor med relativt hög social status. Märkeskläder och de senaste elektroniska prylarna var viktiga inslag i ungdomarnas vardag. 100 ungdomar deltog i studien, 51 pojkar och 49 flickor. Frågorna på enkäten var både öppna och slutna. Studien är kopplad till Lars-Magnus Engströms begrepp egenvärde och investeringsvärde. När undersökningen gjorts analyserade jag de data som samlats in och därefter så kunde studiens syfte uppfyllas och frågeställningen besvaras. Resultat De flesta av ungdomarna visade sig uppfylla de rekommendationer som finns angående fysisk aktivitet. De flesta var på ett eller annat sätt fysiskt aktiv på sin fritid. Det var också en majoritet av eleverna som deltog aktivt på skolidrotten. Skolan har ett stort och viktigt ansvar för att den fysiska aktiviteten genomsyrar hela skoldagen. Slutsats Genom att vara fysiskt aktiv blir vår hälsa bättre. Det vet vi sen tidigare. Det viktiga är nu att se till att fler barn och unga lockas till fysisk aktivitet och att det blir ett livslångt intresse. På så vis kan vi förbättra folkhälsan. Rekommendationerna för fysisk aktivitet är en bra riktlinje för vad som är nödvändigt för att upprätthålla en god hälsa. Skolan och idrottsföreningar är viktiga instanser för att bidra till ökad fysisk aktivitet, samt att nå de som ännu inte är aktiva. / <p>Studiegång Idrott, fritidskultur och hälsa skolår F-9. Vt 2013</p>