Centro de Estudios Sociosanitarios, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Cuenca, España.
BMC Public Health. 2012 Sep 14;12:785. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-785.
Physical activity interventions in schools environment seem to have shown some effectiveness in the control of the current obesity epidemic in children. However the complexity of behaviors and the diversity of influences related to this problem suggest that we urgently need new lines of insight about how to support comprehensive population strategies of intervention. The aim of this study was to know the perceptions of the children from Cuenca, about their environmental barriers, facilitators and preferences for physical activity.
METHODS/DESIGN: We used a mixed-method design by combining two qualitative methods (analysis of individual drawings and focus groups) together with the quantitative measurement of physical activity through accelerometers, in a theoretical sample of 121 children aged 9 and 11 years of schools in the province of Cuenca, Spain.
Mixed-method study is an appropriate strategy to know the perceptions of children about barriers and facilitators for physical activity, using both qualitative methods for a deeply understanding of their points of view, and quantitative methods for triangulate the discourse of participants with empirical data. We consider that this is an innovative approach that could provide knowledges for the development of more effective interventions to prevent childhood overweight.
学校环境中的体育活动干预措施似乎已经显示出在控制当前儿童肥胖症方面的一些效果。然而，与这一问题相关的行为的复杂性和影响的多样性表明，我们迫切需要新的思路来支持全面的干预人口策略。本研究的目的是了解昆卡儿童对其环境障碍、促进因素以及对体育活动的偏好的看法。
方法/设计：我们采用了混合方法设计，将两种定性方法（个体绘图分析和焦点小组）与通过加速度计进行的身体活动定量测量相结合，在西班牙昆卡省的学校中，对 121 名 9 至 11 岁的儿童进行了理论抽样。
混合方法研究是一种了解儿童对身体活动障碍和促进因素的看法的合适策略，既使用定性方法深入了解他们的观点，又使用定量方法将参与者的论述与经验数据进行三角剖分。我们认为，这是一种创新的方法，可以为制定更有效的预防儿童超重的干预措施提供知识。
