Childhood physical activity engagement: a qualitative bioecological investigation of children and their parents' perceptions and experiences

Abstract

Many Canadian children are not meeting the minimum physical activity guidelines that are associated with healthy growth and development. The mechanisms that underpin childhood physical activity are complex and vary by child. Few researchers have broached this complexity through bioecological approaches that directly source children and their parents. I sought to hear directly from children and their parents about the factors they feel are important in promoting and deterring childhood physical activity; and to learn about the mechanisms by which these factors promote and deter childhood physical activity. The 16 children and 11 parents that participated commented extensively about the importance of coactivity; that is, physical activity with others. Their perceptions and experiences suggest that personal, contextual, and temporal factors affect physical activity by way of promoting or deterring coactivity. Childhood physical activity research should strive to further incorporate coactivity-oriented, bioecological perspectives.