Using participatory approaches with children to better understand their physical activity behaviour

The importance of childhood physical activity is widely recognised. Helping children to articulate their opinions is a crucial factor in improving their health and well-being, yet the field is predominantly focused on adult-led quantitative methods and lacks deeper understanding from a child perspective.

This paper draws on experiences from a Danish study in which children depicted their physical activity behaviour in go-along group interviews in schoolyards (n = 111), and a Scottish study in which children photographed or drew meaningful places and discussed physical activity in these places (n = 25).

The benefits and challenges associated with using participatory methods to understand how children perceive the environment in relation to their physical activity behaviour are described.

Findings contribute to the literature by suggesting that participatory approaches are valuable in capturing children's perceptions of physical activity behaviour in outdoor environments.