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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Melissa FothergillORCiD
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© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. Children are consistently not achieving recommended levels of physical activity (PA) despite it being a compulsory requirement of the national curriculum in England. Fruit and vegetable consumption also falls below recommended levels for both adults and children. With school PA increasingly being outsourced, football foundations (linked to professional football clubs) are now prominent providers of children's PA. However, research exploring coach-led interventions in schools is limited with a particular gap in knowledge surrounding the qualitative experiences of children and parents/carers. The current study therefore aimed to explore the experiences of children and parents engaged in a 6-week family football programme. Family football is a free after-school programme engaging parents/carers and their children, to enhance their engagement in PA and healthy nutritional habits. A purposive sample of parents/carers and their children (N = 36) took part in qualitative focus groups to discuss their experiences of participating in family football. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed two themes: (i) healthy lifestyle facilitators and challenges and (ii) added value of programme participation. Children discussed programme content around nutritional practices and parents/carers discussed examples of where nutritional practices had improved at home, though some parents/carers and children highlighted persistent barriers to health improvement. Both parents/carers and children reflected on how the programme had enabled them to spend dedicated time with one another. The findings emphasize the significance of direct parent/carer involvement in school-based health interventions as well as the value of coach-led interventions in the enhancement of PA enjoyment, nutritional knowledge and connectedness of families within schools.
Author(s): Fothergill MA, Gill G, Graham PL
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Health Promotion International
Year: 2024
Volume: 39
Issue: 1
Print publication date: 01/02/2024
Online publication date: 09/01/2024
Acceptance date: 02/04/2018
ISSN (print): 0957-4824
ISSN (electronic): 1460-2245
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daad183
DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daad183
PubMed id: 38195063
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