title: A pictorial view of the physical activity socialization of young adolescents outside of school.
abstract: Childhood obesity prevention has fallen short of anticipated impact. Therefore, intervention programs need to be redirected to other potential settings to increase youth physical activity. This qualitative study, using autodriven interview techniques, was conducted to identify out-of-school settings that youth perceive as important for physical activity. Sixty-six children took photographs involving their physical activity involvement. A subsample completed follow-up focus groups. Salient themes included types of physical activities related to free play, fitness, organized sports, and chores. Most photographs included multiple children of similar age and were taken outdoors. Data suggest children associate chores with physical activity and engage in fitness-related activities. In addition, friends and family, the outdoors, and importantly, the home emerged as natural intervention components that may prove useful towards decreasing the physical inactivity and obesity of youth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208, USA. beets@mailbox.sc.edu
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Beets
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Banda
authors.forename: Heather E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Erwin
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beighle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D010781:Photography; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012951:Socialization