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A multi-method exploration into the social networks of young teenagers and their physical activity behavior

Montgomery, Shannon C.; Donnelly, Michael; Badham, Jennifer; Kee, Frank; Dunne, Laura; Hunter, Ruth F.

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Authors

Shannon C. Montgomery

Michael Donnelly

Frank Kee

Laura Dunne

Ruth F. Hunter



Abstract

Background There is a need for novel interventions to target inadequate levels of adolescent physical activity behavior. Previous research indicates that better understanding of the processes by which social networks influence physical activity behavior in adolescents may be useful to enhance intervention design. Methods This study used a multi-methods approach to aid our understanding about the role of social networks for adolescent physical activity behavior. The quantitative phase of data collection was analyzed using a three-step linear regression model using cross-sectional data from the WiSe study (n = 529 participants, 48.6% female, mean age 14.38 years (SD 0.32)). A demographically reflective sub-sample of schools were invited to take part in the qualitative phase, which involved focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was used to explore findings from the quantitative phase in greater depth, and identify other themes pertaining to the association between social networks and physical activity behavior. Results Males’ physical activity behavior was predicted by their friend group (0.46, p = 0.007) whereas females’ physical activity was predicted by their best friend (0.21, p = 0.03). The three main findings that were uncovered by the regression analysis were explored during the qualitative phase: 1) friends have similar physical activity behaviors; 2) friendship social networks may influence differently early adolescent male and female physical activity behavior; 3) popularity and sociability were not associated with physical activity behavior. Two additional themes emerged from the analysis of focus group data: 4) social norms and 5) external factors that may impact the relationship between adolescent physical activity behavior and social networks. Conclusions The investigation of the interplay between the findings from each phase of the inquiry indicated that social networks influence in different ways and to different degrees the physical activity of adolescent males and females. In turn, these insights point to the need for a systematic tailoring process for the development and implementation of physical activity behavior interventions.

Citation

Montgomery, S. C., Donnelly, M., Badham, J., Kee, F., Dunne, L., & Hunter, R. F. (2021). A multi-method exploration into the social networks of young teenagers and their physical activity behavior. BMC Public Health, 21(1), Article 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10081-0

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 16, 2020
Online Publication Date Jan 7, 2021
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Sep 29, 2021
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal BMC Public Health
Publisher BioMed Central
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 21
Issue 1
Article Number 77
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10081-0
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1232230

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Copyright Statement
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.




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