Physical activity among adolescents and barriers to delivering physical education in Cornwall and Lancashire, UK: a qualitative study of heads of PE and heads of schools.
BACKGROUND
Recent initiatives have been introduced by the UK government into secondary schools to increase pupils' access to physical activity (PA). Despite this, not enough is known about pupils' levels of physical activity or whether the delivery of these initiatives in schools facilitates or creates a barrier for pupils' PA. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of adolescents PA levels from the perspective of those responsible for delivering physical education (PE) in schools; heads of PE (HOPE) and heads of school (HS).


METHODS
Seventeen semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out with a snowball sample of HOPE and HS in schools in the Northwest and Southwest of England. Thematic data analysis using NVIVO was used to identify emergent themes.


RESULTS
17 core themes were generated, 12 of which confirmed the findings from similar research. However, five themes relating to 'ethos of performance/elitism', 'lower fitness leads to lower ability', 'undervaluing activities within PE dept' or school as a whole', 'role of the school' and 'PE department doing all it can' offer valuable new insight into the factors which may encourage or prevent PA inside or outside the curriculum.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite many positive perceptions of the delivery of PE in schools, it is evident that barriers still exist within that delivery which discourages physical activity. More research is needed to particularly address the complex issues of elitism and the ethos of PA in schools.
Boyle
Spencer Earl
SE
University of Sheffield, Health Services Research, ScHARR, Research Centre, Regent Court, 30 Regent St, Sheffield, S1 4DA, UK. cmp05seb@shef.ac.uk
Jones
Georgina L
GL
Walters
Stephen J
SJ
D000293:Adolescent; D003479:Curriculum; D004739:England; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012572:School Health Services; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires