Abstract
PURPOSE
To identify perceptions of how sociocultural environment enabled and hindered physical activity (PA) participation.
DESIGN
Community-based participatory research.
SETTING
Two semirural and two urban communities located in Alberta, Canada.
PARTICIPANTS
Thirty-five people (74.3% females, 71.4% aged 25-64 years) across the four communities.
METHOD
PhotoVoice activities occurred over 3 months during the spring of 2009. Participants were asked to document perceived environmental attributes that might foster or inhibit PA in their community. Photographs and narratives were shared in one-on-one interviews. Line-by-line coding of the transcripts was independently conducted by two researchers using an inductive approach. Codes were arranged into themes and subthemes, which were then organized into the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework.
RESULTS
Six main themes (accompanied by subthemes) emerged: sociocultural aesthetics, safety, social involvement, PA motivation, cultural ideas of recreation, and car culture. Representative quotes and photographs illustrate enablers and obstacles identified by participants.
CONCLUSION
This PhotoVoice study revealed how aspects of participants' sociocultural environments shaped their decisions to be physically active. Providing more PA resources is only one step in the promotion of supportive environments. Strategies should also account for the beautification and maintenance of communities, increasing feelings of safety, enhancement of social support among community members, popularization of PA, and mitigating car culture, among others.
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