Representations Of Physical Activity Research Articles

Audience Responses to Physical Activity in the Biggest Loser Australia

The popular reality television show The Biggest Loser Australia (TBL) is a significant source of media content about physical activity. This study examined audience responses to and interpretations of physical activity in TBL. A qualitative study using in-depth interviews was conducted in New South Wales, Australia. A sample of 46 viewers of TBL was recruited, stratified by gender, age group, area of residence, and body mass index. Interview data were thematically analyzed to identify how viewers evaluated TBL. Respondents were most positive about TBL as public health education, premised on personal responsibility, the need for extreme action, and the possibilities of human agency (individually and collectively). Conversely, they were critical about whether the portrayal of physical activity could guide and inspire them personally. They expressed feelings of disgust and fear in response to the exercise challenges, questioned the practicality of the behavior change process in light of their own experience, and were skeptical about the purpose of the program itself. TBL’s representation of physical activity may be limited in its capacity to encourage physical activity. Despite the wide viewership of this program, encouraging physical requires innovation in the development of practical, persuasive and evidence based media messages about physical activity.

Representaciones sociales de actividad física y sus condicionantes para su práctica en docentes de la localidad Los Mártires de Bogotá, D.C.

Introducción. Las instituciones educativas son escenarios de riqueza cultural y social que favorecen la adopción de estilos de vida como la práctica de actividad física (AF). Los docentes poseen un acercamiento a la AF que es necesario reconocer, ya que juegan un papel fundamental en el proceso de adquisición de hábitos. Objetivo. Describir las representaciones sociales de AF que tienen los docentes de los ciclos I y II de colegios distritales en la localidad los Mártires, Bogotá, y establecer los condicionantes para su práctica. Materiales y métodos. Estudio exploratorio, descriptivo y cualitativo realizado con 48 docentes distribuidos aleatoriamente, en el que, a través de grupos focales, se indagó sobre las representaciones de AF y los condicionantes para su práctica. La información fue procesada mediante triangulación, haciendo uso del análisis del discurso. Resultados. La mayoría de los participantes definieron la AF desde una perspectiva biológica. En cuanto a los condicionantes, se destacaron más limitaciones en relación con la seguridad del entorno, las políticas institucionales y la actitud de los docentes, esta última como limitante y facilitador dependiendo del caso. Conclusiones. En el concepto de AF no se observa diferencia en términos de ejercicio, deporte, recreación o juego; sin embargo, se resalta su importancia para el escolar, pues el desarrollo humano se favorece al realizar AF. Ahora bien, en algunos casos, solo el profesional en AF puede promoverla, por lo que pocos docentes la involucran en sus clases.

The Pictorial Representation of Gender and Physical Activity Level in Caldecott Medal Winning Children's Literature (1940-1999): A Relational Analysis of Physical Culture

The pictorial representation of physical activity and gender over three time periods is investigated in Caldecott Medal winning children's literature. Relational analysis and recent national position documents on physical activity are used to frame an interdependent relationship between current levels of physical activity among children and the various institutionalized forms of physical culture with which they interact. Fifty-seven Caldecott Medal winning books were analyzed. Frequency counts were recoded for each book in four categories: (1) females engaged in sedentary roles, (2) females engaged in active roles, (3) males engaged in sedentary roles and (4) males engaged in active roles. A 2 (gender) 2 2(activity level) 2 3 (time period) factorial ANOVA adjusted for nonormally distributed data was used to test frequency of pictorial representation. Results indicate the illustrations in Caldecott Medal literature are a poor media for communicating a physically active lifestyle to children while at the same time have consistently underrepresented females. Males were significantly more likely to be portrayed than females (p < 0.05) and, regardless of gender, sedentary roles were significantly more likely to be portrayed than active roles (p < 0.05). This condition did not change significantly over the three time periods tested (1940-1959, 1960-1979 and 1980-1999). With recent national position documents identifying young people as largely inactive and unfit researchers and practitioners are (1) encouraged to rethink the seemingly innocent relationship between picture books and the trend of inactivity currently seen in the United States and (2) develop skills related to critical media literacy as part of a pedagogy for new times.