Faculty of Arts and Physical Education, Department of Physical Education, Volda University College, Volda, Norway.
BMC Public Health. 2021 Apr 9;21(1):701. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10727-7.
Increased level of physical activity (PA) is one of the approaches offered by school health services in Norway for the prevention and treatment of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. Research has found that young people with overweight and obesity tend to participate in less physical activity than youth of healthier weight. They also tend to perceive several barriers to PA at the environmental, interpersonal, and individual levels. This paper explores how adolescents', who receive follow-up of weight management in primary health care, experience barriers to and facilitators for engaging in physical activity within their social networks.
This is a qualitative study with an explorative design inspired by phenomenological ideas based on analysis of semi-structured interviews with 10 adolescents aged 13-18. Interviews were conducted with young people with overweight or obesity in weight-related follow-up in primary health care settings in various regions in Norway.
The results describe the barriers to and facilitators of PA in the adolescents' social networks. The study reveals a strong emphasis on the importance of a social network for engaging in PA. According to these adolescents' experiences of PA in their social networks, organizing PA groups that consist of similarly young people with overweight can contribute to an increased level of PA and help modify their negative perceptions of such activity.
This study finds that young people with overweight and obesity place a strong emphasis on a social network where they feel equal to others if they are to engage in PA. The study suggests that School Health Nurses should establish a social network of adolescents in the same situation, in the form of organized activity groups for young people with overweight or obesity, rather than advice on increased participation in ordinary organized sports or individual exercising. This can facilitate an increase in the PA level among this group of young people.
增加身体活动(PA)水平是挪威学校卫生服务机构提供的预防和治疗超重和肥胖儿童和青少年的方法之一。研究发现,超重和肥胖的年轻人比体重健康的年轻人参与的身体活动更少。他们也倾向于在环境、人际和个人层面上感知到一些身体活动的障碍。本文探讨了在初级保健中接受体重管理随访的青少年在社交网络中参与身体活动时面临的障碍和促进因素。
这是一项定性研究,设计灵感来自现象学思想,基于对 10 名 13-18 岁超重或肥胖青少年的半结构化访谈的分析。访谈是在挪威不同地区的初级保健环境中对超重或肥胖的青少年进行体重相关随访时进行的。
研究结果描述了青少年社交网络中身体活动的障碍和促进因素。研究结果表明,社交网络对于参与身体活动非常重要。根据这些青少年在社交网络中参与身体活动的经验,组织由超重的类似年轻人组成的身体活动小组可以提高身体活动水平,并帮助改变他们对这种活动的负面看法。
本研究发现,超重和肥胖的年轻人非常重视一个社交网络,如果他们要参与身体活动,他们在这个网络中会感到与他人平等。研究表明,学校保健护士应该建立一个有类似情况的青少年社交网络,以有组织的活动小组的形式为超重或肥胖的年轻人提供服务,而不是建议他们更多地参与普通的有组织的运动或个人锻炼。这可以促进这一人群身体活动水平的提高。