Lessons learned: Children's perceptions of an imagery intervention aimed to increase physical activity levels

Abstract

A 4-week active play imagery intervention aimed to increase children’s physical activity participation was implemented with grade 6 students. For the duration of the intervention participants listened to imagery scripts via a telephone system, completed questionnaires on a weekly basis, and tracked daily pedometer step counts. The purpose of the present study was to investigate children’s perceptions of this imagery intervention. A 45-minute semi-structured focus group interview was conducted with seven children (four females and three males) aged 9-10. These children were a sub-sample of the larger study (N = 57). The interview was transcribed verbatim and organized into meaning units. The meaning units were divided into themes using an inductive approach (Patton, 1990). Two researchers worked together as a coding team to reduce individual coder bias (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). A total of six main themes emerged. Four of the themes were further divided into ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ and included overall experience, using the telephone system, content of imagery scripts, and wearing the pedometer. The fifth theme, assistive factors, included various influences (e.g., teachers) aiding participants in effectively completing the intervention. The sixth theme reflected children’s suggestions for future active play imagery interventions using similar procedures. Taken together, the findings support Tobin et al.’s (2013) assertion that active play imagery can be used as a mechanism to motivate children to engage in physical activity. The main themes will be expanded upon and discussed.

Acknowledgments: This research was supported by SSHRC to the last two authors.