Health Education Research Advance Access published online on August 14, 2008
Health Education Research, doi:10.1093/her/cyn043
A qualitative study of parental modeling and social support for physical activity in underserved adolescents
1 Department of Psychology
2 Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
3 Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Heath, Education and Human Development, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
4 Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, School of Public Health, Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Correspondence to: * Correspondence to: D. K. Wilson, Department of Psychology, Barnwell College, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. E-mail: wilsondk{at}mailbox.sc.edu
This study obtained qualitative data to assess how parental role modeling and parental social support influence physical activity in underserved (minority, low-income) adolescents. Fifty-two adolescents (22 males, 30 females; ages 10–14 years, 85% African-American) participated in a focus group (6–10 per group, same gender). Focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed and coded by independent raters. Inter-rater reliabilities indicated adequate agreement [inter-rater reliability (r) = 0.84]. Themes were identified for parental role modeling and parental social support. Regarding parental role modeling, adolescents reported that parents engaged in a variety of different types of physical activities with their children such as walking, cycling and playing basketball; however, activity was infrequent. Sex differences were noted in parental social support indicating that female adolescents reported receiving more emotional and negative support for physical activity (being required to play outside with a sibling), while boys reported receiving more tangible types of support for physical activity. Adolescents also generated ideas on how to increase parental social support and in particular tangible support was highlighted as important by both males and females. This study suggests that future interventions should focus on improving parental engagement and tangible support that involve direct participation from parents in physical activities with their adolescents.
Received on December 11, 2007; accepted on July 11, 2008