The Barriers and Facilitators of Sport and Physical Activity Participation for Aboriginal Children in Rural New South Wales, Australia: A Photovoice Project

Abstract

Participating in physical activity is beneficial for health. Whilst Aboriginal children possess high levels of physical activity, this declines rapidly by early adolescence. Low physical activity participation is a behavioral risk factor for chronic disease, which is present at much higher rates in Australian Aboriginal communities compared to non-Aboriginal communities. Through photos and ‘yarning’, the Australian Aboriginal cultural form of conversation, this photovoice study explored the barriers and facilitators of sport and physical activity participation perceived by Aboriginal children (n = 17) in New South Wales rural communities in Australia for the first time and extended the limited research undertaken nationally. Seven key themes emerged from thematic analysis. Four themes described physical activity barriers, which largely exist at the community and interpersonal level of children’s social and cultural context: the physical environment, high costs related to sport and transport, and reliance on parents, along with individual risk factors such as unhealthy eating. Three themes identified physical activity facilitators that exist at the personal, interpersonal, and institutional level: enjoyment from being active, supportive social and family connections, and schools. Findings highlight the need for ongoing maintenance of community facilities to enable physical activity opportunities and ensure safety. Children held strong aspirations for improved and accessible facilities. The strength of friendships and the family unit should be utilized in co-designed and Aboriginal community-led campaigns.

A Systematic Methods Review of Photovoice Research with Indigenous Young People

“…Most studies referenced CBPR or participatory action research as a component of their design (Aparicio et al, 2021; Banyard et al, 2020; Cooper, 2022; Cueva et al, 2020; Edwards et al, 2022; Faircloth et al, 2016; Genius et al, 2015; Goodman et al, 2018; Goodman et al, 2019; Hanemaayer et al, 2020; Hatala et al, 2020; Hayhurst et al, 2015; Helm et al, 2015; Hudson et al, 2020; Jardine & James, 2012; Jennings & Lowe, 2013; Jennings et al, 2020; Johnston et al, 2012; Jones et al, 2013; Kelly, 2017; Liew et al, 2022; Lines & Jardine, 2019; Markus, 2012; McHugh et al, 2013; Philip et al, 2022; Savuro et al, 2022; Shea J et al, 2011; Sloan Morgan et al, 2022; Tremblay et al, 2018; Victor et al, 2022; Weinronk et al, 2018; Young et al, 2013). One study noted that a participatory approach was used only for analysis (Uchima et al, 2021).…”

“…Only one study did not describe their recruitment methods (Faircloth et al, 2016). Many participants were recruited from schools, colleges and school based programs (Cueva et al, 2020; Genius et al, 2015; Helm et al, 2015; Jardine & James, 2012; Jones et al, 2013; Kelly, 2017; Minthorn & Marsh, 2016; Sloan Morgan et al, 2022; Tremblay et al, 2018; Victor et al, 2022; Weinronk et al, 2018); service and community organisations (Goodman et al, 2018; Goodman et al, 2019; Hayhurst et al, 2015; Jennings et al, 2020; Markus, 2012; Savuro et al, 2022; Shea J et al, 2011); or via convenience or snowball sampling and community connections (Banyard et al, 2020; Cooper, 2022; Edwards et al, 2022; Hatala et al, 2020; Hudson et al, 2020; Jennings & Lowe, 2013; Johnston et al, 2012; Liew et al, 2022; McHugh et al, 2013; Williamson et al, 2020). Fewer studies recruited participants from community events and programs (Aparicio et al, 2021; Hanemaayer et al, 2020; Philip et al, 2022; Uchima et al, 2021), cultural activities and camps (Lines & Jardine, 2019), and via a larger research study (Johnson et al, 2020; Kaplun et al, 2016).…”

“…Sixteen studies reported giving participants digital cameras for the project (Banyard et al, 2020; Edwards et al, 2022; Faircloth et al, 2016; Goodman et al, 2018; Goodman et al, 2019; Hanemaayer et al, 2020; Hatala et al, 2020; Helm et al, 2015; Hudson et al, 2020; Jennings & Lowe, 2013; Liew et al, 2022; Markus, 2012; Shea J et al, 2011; Victor et al, 2022; Williamson et al, 2020; Young et al, 2013); seven gave disposable cameras (Cueva et al, 2020; Genius et al, 2015; Jardine & James, 2012; Johnston et al, 2012; Jones et al, 2013; Kelly, 2017; McHugh et al, 2013); and the use of mixed methods (video-recorder and/or digital camera (Lines & Jardine, 2019); mobile phones and digital camera (Uchima et al, 2021) was reported by two studies. One study provided mobile phones to participants to capture images (Aparicio et al, 2021).…”

A community-embedded approach to increasing the health literacy of Aboriginal children in a regional area: processes of co-design and local implementation

“…The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care called on researchers to hear the voices of Indigenous children as they explore domains of wellbeing, namely: safety, health, culture and connection, mental health and emotional wellbeing, home, and environment, learning and skills, empowerment, and economic wellbeing. One way this can be achieved is listening through yarning, the Australian Indigenous cultural form of conversation ( 41 ). There is a body of child participatory research that details the creative and arts-based qualitative methods that can be employed to support the engagement of children in research and the sharing of their perspectives ( 42 ).…”

Організаційні Засади Реалізації Інклюзивності У Спорті

“…Дане твердження співвідноситься з широким розумінням терміна «особливі освітні потреби», який, відповідно до Саламанської декларації[116], охоплює всі форми різноманітності. Численні дослідження підкреслюють, що такі індивідуальні характеристики як стать[26, 43,69,75,110], сексуальна орієнтація та гендерна ідентичність[16, 21,30, 50, 108], раса та етнічна приналежність[46,56,88, 105,118], корінне [9, 40, 82, 107, 109, 111] та міграційне походження [65, 71, 97, 104, 105], мова, культура та релігія [17, 37, 87, 95, 118], вік [2, 7, 10, 31, 103] та інвалідність [57, 63, 83, 92, 93] відіграють значну роль в обмеженні можливостей для участі у спор-ті. Ці характеристики перетинаються і впливають одна на одну, що призводить до складного досвіду маргіналізації та виключення.…”