‘Ahhh it was like paradise, but inside’: children’s experiences and perceptions of a free physical activity program

ABSTRACT

As most Canadian children are not attaining the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, it is imperative that affordable and accessible programs are implemented to help children become more physically active. Specifically, community-based programs that are free and easy to access have shown to be advantageous for promoting beneficial health behaviours at a population level. The Grade 5 ACT-i-Pass (G5AP) is a community-based physical activity program in the mid-sized Canadian city of London, Ontario that offers free programming to all grade 5 children (ages 9–11 years) at various recreational facilities across the city. The data from 28 focus groups with past G5AP participants (n = 101) were analysed to understand the influence of the program on children’s perceived physical activity levels, and to investigate the enablers and/or barriers that children believe influenced their participation in, or access to, G5AP programming. Five distinct themes were identified during the analysis, including two themes describing participants’ perceived changes to their physical activity levels (i.e. additional physical activity opportunities, and well-being and self-efficacy), and three themes explaining enablers and/or barriers to G5AP programming (i.e. program structure and implementation, spatial accessibility of programming, and social supports and constraints). The findings from the focus groups were used to generate recommendations for current and future community-based physical activity programs as a means to improve the health and well-being of children.

KEYWORDS:

• Physical activity
• child
• community-based
• intervention
• barrier
• enabler
• qualitative
• focus group

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank London’s Child & Youth Network and the local school boards (Thames Valley District School Board, London District Catholic School Board, Conseil Scolaire Viamonde, Conseil Scolaire Catholique Providence, and private schools) for their participation in this research. We also thank the G5AP service providers (the Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA of Western Ontario, the City of London Recreation, London Children’s Museum, Palasad Bowling, Junction Climbing Centre, and SARI Therapeutic Riding) for their generosity and for offering free programming to G5AP participants. Finally, we would like to thank the various graduate and undergraduate researchers of the Human Environments Analysis Lab at Western University that assisted in data collection and administration of the program.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute under Grant 703083; and the Children’s Health Research Institute and Children’s Health Foundation, Government of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Population and Public Health under Grants 322703 and 327369. The Ontario Sport and Recreation Communities Fund provided funding to the CYN to help implement the program.

Notes on contributors

Emma Ostermeier

EmmaOstermeier, MSc, is a doctoral candidate in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Western University. Her research focuses on community-based interventions and strategies for improving children’s access to physical activity programming.

Kristen Reilly

KristenReilly, PhD, is a research coordinator in the Return to Health and Performance Lab at Western University. Her research focuses on using knowledge translation and implementation strategies to increase physical activity for all.

Kendra Nelson Ferguson

KendraNelson Ferguson, PhD, is a postdoctoral research associate in the Human Environments Analysis Lab in the Department of Geography and Environment at Western University. Her research uses qualitative techniques to explore childhood physical activity and develop strategies for lifelong engagement.

Stephanie E. Coen

Stephanie E. Coen, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Nottingham. Her research explores how everyday social and material environments matter for health outcomes, behaviours, and inequities. She also investigates questions related to qualitative methods, including rigour and arts-based techniques.

Jason Gilliland

JasonGilliland, PhD, is a full professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Western University known internationally for his community-based research on urban development and public health issues. His research examines how environmental characteristics influence children’s health issues such as physical inactivity, healthy eating, vaping, mental well-being, and sleep.