Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Sep 14:12:785.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-785.

Barriers, facilitators and preferences for the physical activity of school children. Rationale and methods of a mixed study

Affiliations

Barriers, facilitators and preferences for the physical activity of school children. Rationale and methods of a mixed study

María Martínez-Andrés et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Physical activity interventions in schools environment seem to have shown some effectiveness in the control of the current obesity epidemic in children. However the complexity of behaviors and the diversity of influences related to this problem suggest that we urgently need new lines of insight about how to support comprehensive population strategies of intervention. The aim of this study was to know the perceptions of the children from Cuenca, about their environmental barriers, facilitators and preferences for physical activity.

Methods/design: We used a mixed-method design by combining two qualitative methods (analysis of individual drawings and focus groups) together with the quantitative measurement of physical activity through accelerometers, in a theoretical sample of 121 children aged 9 and 11 years of schools in the province of Cuenca, Spain.

Conclusions: Mixed-method study is an appropriate strategy to know the perceptions of children about barriers and facilitators for physical activity, using both qualitative methods for a deeply understanding of their points of view, and quantitative methods for triangulate the discourse of participants with empirical data. We consider that this is an innovative approach that could provide knowledges for the development of more effective interventions to prevent childhood overweight.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Coding Diagram.

References

    1. Martínez-Vizcaíno V, Sánchez López M, Moya Martínez P, Solera Martinez M, Notario Pacheco B, Salcedo Aguilar F, Rodríguez-Artalejo F. Trends in excess weight and thinness among Spanish schoolchildren in the period 1992–2004: the Cuenca study. Public Health Nutr. 2009;12:1015–1018. doi: 10.1017/S1368980008003571. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Tzotzas T, Kapantais E, Tziomalos K, Ioannidis I, Mortoglou A, Bakatselos S, Kaklamanou M, Lanaras L, Kaklamanou D. Prevalence of overweight and abdominal obesity in Greek children 6–12 years old: Results from the National Epidemiological Survey. Hippokratia. 2011;15:48–53. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cattaneo A, Monasta L, Stamatakis E, Lioret S, Castetbon K, Frenken F, Manios Y, Moschonis G, Savva S, Zaborskis A. et al.Overweight and obesity in infants and pre-school children in the European Union: a review of existing data. Obes Rev. 2010;11:389–398. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2009.00639.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hallal PC, Victoria CG, Azevedo MR, Wells JC. Adolescent physical activity and health: a systematic review. Sports Medicine. 2006;36:1019–1030. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200636120-00003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Janz KF, Dawson JD, Mahoney LT. Tracking physical fitness and physical activity from childhood to adolescence: the Muscatine study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000;32:1250–1257. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200007000-00011. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types