“It Makes you Fly to the Moon” - Stakeholder Perceptions of Physical Activity in the School Environment

Jaimie M McMullen; Katie Hodgin; Jennifer M Krause; Brian Dauenhauer; Russell L Carson

doi:10.21601/ejeph/9372

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Jaimie M McMullen ¹ ^* , Katie Hodgin ², Jennifer M Krause ¹, Brian Dauenhauer ¹, Russell L Carson ³

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¹ University of Northern Colorado, USA² Alliance for a Healthier Generation, USA³ PlayCore, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Abstract. Children are not achieving recommended levels of physical activity (PA), and a comprehensive school PA program (CSPAP) has been suggested as a way to address this within the school environment (CDC, 2017). Purpose: The purpose of this study, was to explore multiple stakeholders’ perceptions (i.e., students, teachers, principal) of PA in the school environment. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted; students in Kindergarten through grade two (N = 31) participated in focus group interviews, while teachers (N = 9) and the principal (N = 1) participated in individual interviews. Data were analyzed inductively using open and axial coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Results: Teachers and the principal had favorable perceptions of PA in school, identified barriers and needed supports (teachers). Students liked PA, believed it was good for them, and wanted more PA opportunities at school. Conclusion: These results provide multi-level stakeholder support for PA promotion within the school environment; and are important to consider within the CSPAP framework.

Keywords

CSPAP
physical activity
school environment
participant perceptions

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EUR J ENV PUBLIC HLT, Volume 5, Issue 2, 2021, Article No: em0070

https://doi.org/10.21601/ejeph/9372

Publication date: 05 Jan 2021

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How to cite this article

Vancouver

McMullen JM, Hodgin K, Krause JM, Dauenhauer B, Carson RL. “It Makes you Fly to the Moon” - Stakeholder Perceptions of Physical Activity in the School Environment. EUR J ENV PUBLIC HLT. 2021;5(2):em0070. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejeph/9372

APA

McMullen, J. M., Hodgin, K., Krause, J. M., Dauenhauer, B., & Carson, R. L. (2021). “It Makes you Fly to the Moon” - Stakeholder Perceptions of Physical Activity in the School Environment. European Journal of Environment and Public Health, 5(2), em0070. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejeph/9372

AMA

McMullen JM, Hodgin K, Krause JM, Dauenhauer B, Carson RL. “It Makes you Fly to the Moon” - Stakeholder Perceptions of Physical Activity in the School Environment. EUR J ENV PUBLIC HLT. 2021;5(2), em0070. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejeph/9372

Chicago

McMullen, Jaimie M, Katie Hodgin, Jennifer M Krause, Brian Dauenhauer, and Russell L Carson. "“It Makes you Fly to the Moon” - Stakeholder Perceptions of Physical Activity in the School Environment". European Journal of Environment and Public Health 2021 5 no. 2 (2021): em0070. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejeph/9372

Harvard

McMullen, J. M., Hodgin, K., Krause, J. M., Dauenhauer, B., and Carson, R. L. (2021). “It Makes you Fly to the Moon” - Stakeholder Perceptions of Physical Activity in the School Environment. European Journal of Environment and Public Health, 5(2), em0070. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejeph/9372

MLA

McMullen, Jaimie M et al. "“It Makes you Fly to the Moon” - Stakeholder Perceptions of Physical Activity in the School Environment". European Journal of Environment and Public Health, vol. 5, no. 2, 2021, em0070. https://doi.org/10.21601/ejeph/9372