Barriers and Facilitators to Leisure Physical Activity in Children: A Qualitative Approach Using the Socio-Ecological Model.

María Martínez-Andrés,Beatriz Rodríguez-Martín,María Jesús Pardo-Guijarro,Raquel Bartolomé-Gutiérrez,Miriam Garrido-Miguel,Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno

doi:10.3390/ijerph17093033

Abstract

Despite the benefits of engaging in physical activity during their leisure time, children do not meet the recommendations on physical activity. Following the socio-ecological model as a theoretical framework, the aim of this study was to determine the barriers and facilitators that influence physical activity participation in children’s leisure time. Data collection was conducted through focus groups and individual drawings in a sample of 98 eight- to eleven-year-olds from six schools in Cuenca (Spain). Following the socio-ecological model, individual characteristics (age and sex), as well as the microsystem (parents and friends), mesosystem (timing and out-of-school schedule) and exosystem (safety and weather) influence physical activity participation. The relationships between these levels of the socio-ecological model reveal that opportunities for leisure physical activity are determined by children’s schedules. This schedule is negotiated by the family and is influenced by parents’ worries and necessities. This is the main barrier to physical activity participation due to the creation of more restrictive, sedentary schedules, especially for girls. Our results show the elements required to develop successful strategies to increase physical activity opportunities, namely, focusing on giving children the opportunity to choose activities, raising parents’ awareness of the importance of physical activity and improving the perceived safety of parks, taking into consideration the gender perspective.

Highlights

Physical activity during childhood and adolescence has been associated with physical, psychological and social benefits [1,2]
Our results show that individual characteristics, microsystem, mesosystem and exosystem have an influence on the physical activity performed during leisure time by our 8- to 11-year-old participants
Our results bring to light the fact that the main barrier to leisure time physical activity in children is family, due to the organization of family life

Summary

Introduction

Physical activity during childhood and adolescence has been associated with physical, psychological and social benefits [1,2]. Physical activity is defined “as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure. ] Physical activity in daily life can be categorized into occupations, sport, conditioning, household, or other activities” [3]. It is recommended that children and adolescents accumulate at least 60 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity on most days of the week [4], and so obtain health and psychosocial benefits that may sustain into adulthood [5,6]. Increasing the amount of time children and youngers dedicate to physical activity is an urgent concern in many countries. Public Health 2020, 17, 3033; doi:10.3390/ijerph17093033 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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