Preventing the decline in physical activity which occurs around 10 to 11 years of age is a public health priority in the United Kingdom (UK). Promoting physically active play may be one approach. At the time of this study, Brockman and colleagues found that most research focused on children's physical activity during organized sports and programs. They found little research to determine the extent to which children participate in physical activity through their informal play. The purpose of this study was to develop an informed picture of contemporary children's play behaviors and attitudes through their own voices as a precursor to recommending interventions that might increase their physical activity.
Eleven focus groups were conducted with 77, 10-11 year old children from four primary schools in Bristol, UK. Focus groups examined: 1) children's perceptions of play; 2) how much of their play is active play; and 3) contexts of children's active play. All focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and subsequently analyzed using a thematic approach.
Thematic analysis of the focus groups suggested that children's perceptions of play were broad and included both physically active and sedentary behaviors. Children reported that they frequently engaged in active play and valued both its physical and social benefits. Whereas boys frequently reported running around outdoors or riding bikes as their preferred forms of active play, girls were less likely to report a specific activity although they were more likely to report that their active play occurred in gardens and other nature-based settings with family members. Additionally, boys reported greater independent mobility in their active play compared to girls. Finally, boys were more likely to report playing with neighborhood friends but girls more frequently reported playing with family members.
One of the findings reported in the study was that adult-designed playgrounds were rarely chosen as a destination for the children's active play. That finding combined with results of other studies suggests to the authors that significant financial investments in adult-designed playgrounds be questioned from a policy perspective. They suggest additional study to determine whether providing vegetated open spaces in neighborhoods might be more beneficial than constructed playgrounds to foster children's physical activity. They also suggest additional research on ways to encourage children's independent mobility since that too may be associated with increased physical activity. The authors conclude that promoting active play during leisure and recreation time may increase the physical activity of children, but interventions may need to be tailored according to gender.
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