ABSTRACT

Participation in physical activity (PA) tends to decline between childhood and adolescence, and in Australia the bulk of this decline has been shown to occur in the domain of non-organised PA (e.g. active play, informal sports). A better understanding of the reasons for the decline in non-organised PA may support strategies to counter barriers and strengthen enablers of participation. This study aimed to explore the stories of young adults who withdrew from non-organised PA and overall PA between 11y and 15y. Specifically, we sought to explore social norms related to non-organised PA during adolescence, and barriers and enablers of participation. Participants were young adults (18–22y) who were recruited from undergraduate, vocational and special entrance classes, as well as two churches in the Illawarra region, Australia. Recruitment was stratified by sex and socioeconomic status. Data collection occurred via semi-structured interviews with embedded Life History Calendars (n = 22). Thematic analysis was supported by concept and pattern coding. Findings revealed that social norms were related to an interplay of adult modelling/influence, concerns about being childish, puberty, identity development, adult choices and responsibilities, and changing life circumstances. Barriers to participation centred on fears of being different, bullying, peer judgement and rejection. Enablers of participation included safe people and places, accessible games (e.g. handball/foursquare) and, for girls, having an identity that supported challenging gender norms. Future PA promotion strategies may involve ‘reframing’ childhood activities to be appropriate for adolescents, and emphasising identity-congruent types of PA (e.g. active video games, drama games). Such strategies may be implemented in a similar style to after-school intramural sports to allow youth to participate despite potential changes in their life circumstances during adolescence.

摘要

在儿童和青少年时期，参加体育活动（PA）的趋势趋于下降，在澳大利亚，这种下降的大部分已证明是发生在无组织的PA领域（例如，运动，非正式运动）。更好地了解非组织性PA下降的原因可能会支持应对障碍和加强参与的策略。这项研究旨在探讨11岁至15岁之间从非组织性PA和整体PA退出的年轻人的故事。具体而言，我们试图探索与青春期非组织性PA相关的社会规范，以及参与的障碍和促成因素。参加者是年轻人（18至22岁），他们是从本科，职业和特殊入学课程以及澳大利亚伊拉瓦拉地区的两座教堂中招募的。招聘按性别和社会经济地位进行了分层。数据收集是通过对嵌入的生命历史日历的半结构化访谈进行的（ñ = 22）。主题分析得到概念和模式编码的支持。调查结果表明，社会规范与成人的塑造/影响，对幼稚，青春期，身份发展，成人的选择和责任以及不断变化的生活环境的相互作用有关。参与的障碍集中在对与众不同，欺凌，同伴判断和拒绝的恐惧上。参与的推动因素包括安全的人员和地点，无障碍的游戏（例如手球/四方形），并且对于女孩而言，其身份可以支持具有挑战性的性别规范。未来的PA推广策略可能涉及“重新调整”适合于青少年的童年活动，并强调与身份一致的PA类型（例如，活跃的视频游戏，戏剧游戏）。