Physical activity: what do high school students think?
OBJECTIVE
To explore the views high school students have about various physical activity contexts and their ideas of potential physical activity promoting strategies.


METHODS
Forty-four students from New Zealand high schools with a low decile rating participated in one of nine focus groups. All groups were separated by gender and ethnicity (Maori, New Zealand European). A standardized semi-structured schedule that included key questions and prompts was used. Thematic induction of the raw data was conducted using the long table approach.


RESULTS
Perceived benefits of physical activity participation centered on fun, achievement, and physical-related factors. Key barriers to physical activity engagement included lack of peer social support and low accessibility to, and availability of, physical activity opportunities. The structure of physical education (PE) classes was a barrier noted by females. Distance was consistently articulated as a barrier to commuting actively to school. Reflective of the barriers raised by participants, self-identified strategies to promote physical activity participation included environmental modifications such as (1) increasing social support from peers, (2) improving availability of, and accessibility to, activities at school and in their neighborhood, (3) providing organized activities at school, and (4) restructuring physical education classes.


CONCLUSIONS
In line with the current understandings of barriers to physical activity participation, youth perceptions were focused toward environmental factors, both social and physical, thereby supporting further development of environment-focused interventions. The potential of the peer, school, neighborhood, and home strategies reported in our study need to be considered in future initiatives targeting youth physical activity.
Hohepa
Maea
M
Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand. maea.hohepa@aut.ac.nz
Schofield
Grant
G
Kolt
Gregory S
GS
D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students