Maintenance and decline of physical activity during adolescence: insights from a qualitative study

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Research

Jacinthe Beauchamp¹  Stéphanie Aubut²  Simon-Pierre Savoie²  Geneviève Martin²  Philipe Chouinard²  Marc Cormier²  Annie Laflamme Filion²  Michelle Casey²  Mathieu Bélanger³ 

[1] Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, Moncton, Canada;Department of family medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada;Dieppe Family Medicine Unit, Dieppe, Canada;Department of family medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada;Dieppe Family Medicine Unit, Dieppe, Canada;Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, Moncton, Canada;Research Centre, Vitalité Health Network, Moncton, Canada;

关键词: qualitative;    maintenance of physical activity;    decline of physical activity;    adolescence;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1479-5868-8-117

 received in 2011-04-01, accepted in 2011-10-21,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

PurposeBetter knowledge on why some individuals succeed in maintaining participation in physical activity throughout adolescence is needed to guide the development of effective interventions to increase and then maintain physical activity levels. Despite allowing an in-depth understanding, qualitative designs have infrequently been used to study physical activity maintenance. We explored factors contributing to the maintenance and the decline of physical activity during adolescence.MethodsQuestionnaires were administered to 515 grade 10-12 students. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents was used to determine physical activity level at the end of adolescence. An adapted version of this questionnaire was used to estimate physical activity in early adolescence. Among both genders, we identified participants who maintained a high level of physical activity since grade 7 and some whose activity level declined. For each category, groups of 10 students were randomly selected to take part in focus group discussions.ResultsSeven focus groups with 5 to 8 participants in each were held. Both maintainers and decliners associated physical activity with positive health outcomes. Maintenance of physical activity was associated with supportive social environments and heightened feelings of competence and attractiveness. A decline in physical activity was associated with negative social validation, poor social support and barriers related to access.ConclusionsAlthough maintainers and decliners associate physical activity with similar themes, the experiences of both groups differ substantially with regards to those themes. Taking both perspectives in consideration could help improve interventions to increase and maintain physical activity levels of adolescents.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Bélanger et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011