Abstract
ABSTRACTPurpose: Adolescent girls are not sufficiently active to achieve health benefits. Social support from friends and family has been positively associated with physical activity in adolescent girls; however it is unclear how social support influences physical activity behaviour. This study aimed to develop a grounded theory of how social support influences physical activity in adolescent girls. Methods: A qualitative, constructivist grounded theory approach was adopted. Individual interviews explored adolescent girls’ perspectives of how significant others’ influenced their physical activity through providing social support, and through modelling physical activity. Results: Participants perceived social support to influence physical activity behaviour through performance improvements, self-efficacy, enjoyment, motivation and by enabling physical activity. Improvements in performance and self-efficacy were also linked to motivation to be active. Girls perceived modelling to influence behaviour through providing opportunities for them to be physically active, and by inspiring them to be active. Conclusion: The grounded theory outlines adolescent girls’ perceptions of how significant others influence their physical activity and provides a framework for future research examining the role of social support on physical activity.
Highlights
Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases, and is a major global public health concern (Ding et al, 2016)
We considered physical activity (PA) as being any bodily movement produced by the skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure (Caspersen, Powell, & Christenson, 1985)
Enjoyment was enhanced through coaches and teachers creating positive environments in which to be physically active (PE and organized sport), and through participating in physical activities with friends (PE, organized sport, active travel, and leisure activities). Together these findings suggest that social support can contribute to young people having fun, positive experiences, which contributes to their sustained engagement in PA
Summary
Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases, and is a major global public health concern (Ding et al, 2016). The health benefits of regular physical activity (PA) for young people are well-documented (Janssen & LeBlanc, 2010; Poitras et al, 2016), yet an estimated 80% of adolescents aged 13– 15 years worldwide fail to reach minimum PA guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) per day (Hallal et al, 2012). Girls are consistently identified as less active than boys (Currie et al, 2015; Hallal et al, 2012), with an estimated 95% of adolescent girls aged 13–15 years worldwide failing to reach minimum PA guidelines (Hallal et al, 2012). A better understanding of the factors associated with PA in adolescent girls may inform more effective intervention design for this population (Sallis, Owen, & Fotheringham, 2000)
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