Individual and Environmental Factors Associated with Participation in Physical Activity as Adolescents Transition to Secondary School: A Qualitative Inquiry

Tomoko McGaughey, Janae Vlaar, Patti-Jean Naylor, Rhona M. Hanning, Lucy Le Mare and Louise C. Mâsse
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Tomoko McGaughey: BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
Janae Vlaar: BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
Patti-Jean Naylor: School of Exercise Science Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
Rhona M. Hanning: School of Public Health & Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Lucy Le Mare: Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Louise C. Mâsse: BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-16

Abstract: The transition from elementary to secondary school is an emotionally and socially complex time when adverse behaviors appear, such as decreased levels of physical activity (PA). Behavioral and environmental factors that influence PA during this time are poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to identify factors that influence PA as adolescents transition to secondary school. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of 27 ethnically diverse child–parent dyads within the public-school system in British Columbia, Canada (50% boys, 68% mothers, 25% White). The interviews probed for environmental and behavioral factors in school, family, and social contexts that potentially initiated changes in PA, specifically related to the adolescents’ transitions. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analyses identified factors at the individual, social, familial, and school levels that may trigger adolescents to change their participation in PA as they transition from elementary to secondary school. Twenty-two factors emerged from the qualitative analysis including school factors (8), household factors (3), social factors (4), and intrapersonal factors (7). These findings contribute to a better understanding of adolescents’ PA behaviors and highlight the influence of changing environments as they transition from elementary school to secondary school.

Keywords: physical activity; adolescent; school; environment; perceptions; transition period (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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