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

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.

The Meaning of Physical Activity: A Qualitative Study on the Perspective of South American Immigrant Parents

“…Owen et al [ 50 ] and Motl et al [ 51 ] describe insecurity as a barrier to sport. All these barriers coincide with previous studies [ 24 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ] in research carried out in Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA.…”

“…This paper aimed to describe the meaning of children’s physical activity from the perspective of immigrant parents. Previous studies [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 11 , 24 ] show how young people and children whose parents are immigrants were less physically active than their native counterparts.…”

“…The proposed schedules for organized sports activities were considered by some of our participants as an added difficulty, as they described them as incompatible with their work schedules and family life rhythms. Previous studies [ 24 , 48 , 49 ] state that workloads and family burdens may prevent children and parents from practicing physical activity. In our study, five of the participants had three or more children.…”

“…Condon and McClean [ 12 ] describe the difficulty of maintaining the physical health of family members, as opposed to the priority of financial health. Participants in the former study were aware of their children’s lack of physical activity, and acknowledged that they did not get enough exercise because of financial hardship, time constraints or feelings of insecurity in some neighborhoods [ 24 ]. Our results show how participants prioritize work and economic status over their children’s physical activity.…”

“…In addition, the parents’ sporting and eating behavior are also relevant factors in children’s behavior [ 14 , 22 , 23 ], as they act as role models. Martínez-Andrés et al [ 24 ] describe how parents organize family life according to their own perspectives and priorities, putting educational activities first and leaving physical leisure activities for later.…”