Barriers, facilitators, and factors influencing the perceived feasibility of family-based physical activity: The role of socioeconomic status

Abstract

The facilitators and barriers to family-based physical activity, child and parent perceptions of the factors influencing their perceived feasibility of family-based physical activity, and the impact of socioeconomic status on these, are relatively unexplored. This study aimed to determine the barriers and facilitators to, and factors influencing the perceived feasibility of, family-based physical activity, with consideration of the impact of socioeconomic status. Focus groups and separate parent and child interviews were conducted with 24 families ( n = 79; 37 parents, 42 children) in the East Midlands, UK, who were categorised into low (deciles 1–3; 5 families), middle (deciles 4–7; 8 families), or high (deciles 8–10; 11 families) socioeconomic status using the UK index of multiple deprivation score, 2019. Regardless of socioeconomic status, parental role modelling was a key facilitator, whilst high cost and lack of free time were barriers for all families. In addition, low socioeconomic status families discussed child role modelling as a facilitator, and the access to and provision of local facilities as a barrier to physical activity, whilst this was a facilitator for middle-high socioeconomic status families. Regardless of socioeconomic status, when discussing factors influencing the perceived feasibility of family-based physical activity, differing levels of fitness between children and parents was a factor mentioned across generations. All parents thought family-based p…