Abstract
Background: In today’s society, few adolescents meet physical activity guidelines and effects of physical activity
promoting programmes are disappointing. In studies exploring determinants of physical activity, the perspective of
adolescents themselves is largely lacking. Also, there is a lack of knowledge on potential environmental determinants
of adolescent physical activity. Therefore, this study aimed to explore adolescents’ perspectives on characteristics of an
activity-friendly environment.
Methods: Concept mapping meetings were conducted with four secondary school classes, including 115 adolescents
(13–17 years). Each student generated ideas regarding the characteristics of an activity-friendly environment. For each
school class, ideas were combined and identical ideas were removed. Next, students individually sorted all ideas, based
on self-perceived similarity, and rated their importance on a five-point Likert-scale. A concept map was created for
each school class using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Finally, the researchers named the
potential environmental determinants within the clusters.
Results: The concept maps depicted 23 unique potential determinants of activity friendliness, of which 15 were similar
across all school classes. Potential determinants were categorized in the physical-, social-, economic-, and motivational
domain. The most frequent and important adolescent-perceived determinants of activity friendliness across all school
classes belonged to the physical domain, e.g. a suitable area including a proper surface for a variety of sports, and
good lighting in the playground.
Conclusions: Our findings show that adolescents perceive potential determinants in the physical and economic
domain as most important for activity friendliness, indicating that future interventions might benefit from targeting
potential determinants within these domains.
promoting programmes are disappointing. In studies exploring determinants of physical activity, the perspective of
adolescents themselves is largely lacking. Also, there is a lack of knowledge on potential environmental determinants
of adolescent physical activity. Therefore, this study aimed to explore adolescents’ perspectives on characteristics of an
activity-friendly environment.
Methods: Concept mapping meetings were conducted with four secondary school classes, including 115 adolescents
(13–17 years). Each student generated ideas regarding the characteristics of an activity-friendly environment. For each
school class, ideas were combined and identical ideas were removed. Next, students individually sorted all ideas, based
on self-perceived similarity, and rated their importance on a five-point Likert-scale. A concept map was created for
each school class using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Finally, the researchers named the
potential environmental determinants within the clusters.
Results: The concept maps depicted 23 unique potential determinants of activity friendliness, of which 15 were similar
across all school classes. Potential determinants were categorized in the physical-, social-, economic-, and motivational
domain. The most frequent and important adolescent-perceived determinants of activity friendliness across all school
classes belonged to the physical domain, e.g. a suitable area including a proper surface for a variety of sports, and
good lighting in the playground.
Conclusions: Our findings show that adolescents perceive potential determinants in the physical and economic
domain as most important for activity friendliness, indicating that future interventions might benefit from targeting
potential determinants within these domains.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 99 |
| Journal | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
| Volume | 15 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 Oct 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |