Physical Activity during the School Holidays: Parent Perceptions and Practical Considerations
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Interview Data
2.2. Demographics
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Parents’ Consideration of Physical Activity during the School Holidays
3.2. When Real Life Kicks In
3.2.1. Childcare Options during the School Holidays
Grandparents as a Source of Childcare
Holiday Clubs
3.3. Practical Considerations
3.3.1. Financial Concerns
3.3.2. Accessibility of Provision
4. Discussion
Strengths and Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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High PA Boy (N = 10) | Low PA Boy (N = 11) | High PA Girl (N = 10) | Low PA Girl (N = 11) | Overall (N = 42) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean (SD)/% | Mean (SD)/% | Mean (SD)/% | Mean (SD)/% | Mean (SD)/% | |
Child characteristics | |||||
Gender (% female) | - | - | - | - | 50.0% |
Age (years) | 10.7 (0.5) | 10.8 (0.4) | 10.9 (0.3) | 10.8 (0.3) | 10.8 (0.4) |
BMI z-score(kg/m2) | 0.1 (0.6) | 0.39 (1.4) | 0.44 (0.7) | 0.87 (0.9) | 0.45 (1.0) |
MVPA (mins/day) | 89.1 (13.7) | 46.3 (6.2) | 83.3 (14.2) | 40.2 (12.5) | 64.6 (25.0) |
Sedentary time (mins/day) | 427.3 (68.6) | 472.5 (42.1) | 466.2 (69.4) | 471.1 (51.0) | 459.2 (59.9) |
Parent characteristics | |||||
Gender (% female) | 50.0% | 36.4% | 70.0% | 55.0% | 50.0% |
Age (years) | 44.0 (6.3) | 42.6 (5.8) | 44.1 (6.8) | 39.6 (4.0) | 42.5 (5.9) |
BMI (kg/m2) | 24.5 (3.0) | 28.3 (7.4) | 23.1 (2.7) | 25.2 (4.2) | 25.3 (4.9) |
IMD | 11.9 (5.6) | 18.3 (18.1) | 15.0 (11.0) | 22.6 (18.6) | 16.9 (14.5) |
MVPA (mins/day) | 66.9 (28.2) | 53.2 (26.1) | 70.3 (20.1) | 46.9 (19.4) | 58.9 (24.8) |
Sedentary time (mins/day) | 539.5 (44.6) | 525.4 (47.4) | 534.8 (82.9) | 524.8 (61.8) | 530.8 (58.9) |
Ethnicity (% White British) | 100.0% | 100.0% | 90.0% | 90.9% | 95.2% |
Employment status | |||||
Full time | 40.0% | 54.5% | 70.0% | 36.4% | 50.0% |
Part time | 40.0% | 27.2% | 30.0% | 63.6% | 40.5% |
Not in paid employment | 20.0% | 18.2% | 0% | 0% | 9.5% |
Finding | Recommendation |
---|---|
Grandparents are a key source of childcare during the school holidays | Support for grandparents in providing frequent physical activity opportunities are needed. Increasing grandparents’ own physical activity may also be effective. |
Holiday clubs are not appealing to older children | Greater provision for older children (11+). Develop clubs in collaboration with this age group to ensure they are age appropriate and appealing. |
Children would like to attend holiday clubs, but parents are unable to afford them | Better signposting for parents to more affordable optionsImprove the cost-effectiveness and value of current provision (e.g., by providing meals, additional benefits outside of being active) |
The location of organised activities and facilities is a key barrier to parents providing opportunities for PA every day during the holidays | Ensure equity of provision of physical activity clubs and facilities in terms of location, with a particular focus on rural areas |
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Emm-Collison, L.G.; Lewis, S.; Reid, T.; Matthews, J.; Sebire, S.J.; Thompson, J.L.; Jago, R. Physical Activity during the School Holidays: Parent Perceptions and Practical Considerations. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 1697. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101697
Emm-Collison LG, Lewis S, Reid T, Matthews J, Sebire SJ, Thompson JL, Jago R. Physical Activity during the School Holidays: Parent Perceptions and Practical Considerations. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(10):1697. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101697
Chicago/Turabian StyleEmm-Collison, Lydia G., Sarah Lewis, Thomas Reid, Joe Matthews, Simon J. Sebire, Janice L. Thompson, and Russell Jago. 2019. "Physical Activity during the School Holidays: Parent Perceptions and Practical Considerations" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 10: 1697. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101697