1. Centre for Health Promotion Studies THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIOCULTURAL ENVIRONMENT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A PhotoVoice Documentation Presenting Author: Ana Paula Belon, PhD Co-Authors: Laura Nieuwendyk, MSc; Helen Vallianatos, PhD; Candace Nykiforuk, PhD May 26-29 th, 2014 Public Health 2014

2. Objective The aim of this PhotoVoice study was to identify perceptions of the role of sociocultural environment in enabling and hindering physical activity participation among residents of four communities in Alberta, Canada.

3. Community Health & the Built Environment The purpose of the CBHE project was to understand how community environment influence physical activity and healthy eating choices. 4 communities Medicine Hat and the Town of Redcliff North Central Edmonton Town of St. Paul Town of Bonnyville www.chbeprojects.com

4. 35 participants (74.3% females; 71.4% aged 25-64 years) Data collection: Spring of 2009 Photographs and narratives were shared in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. Inductive approach Line-by-line coding of the interview transcripts was done independently by two researchers using NVivo 10 software. PhotoVoice Nykiforuk CIJ, Vallianatos H, Nieuwendyk LM. Photovoice as a Method for Revealing Community Perceptions of the Built and Social Environment. Inter Inst Qual Methodology 2011; 10(2):103-23

5. Physical Political Economic Sociocultural ENVIRONMENT What is available?What are the costs? What are the attitudes and beliefs? What are the rules? Swinburn B, Egger G, Raza F. Dissecting obesogenic environments: the development and application of a framework for identifying and prioritizing environmental interventions for obesity. Prev Med 1999;29(6):563-70. ANGELO Framework

6. The sociocultural environment encompasses a community’s social and cultural context. This context shapes beliefs, values, and practices, which influence individual efforts to participate in physical activity. Sociocultural Environment Swinburn B, Egger G, Raza F. Dissecting obesogenic environments: the development and application of a framework for identifying and prioritizing environmental interventions for obesity. Prev Med 1999;29(6):563-70.

7. Overview of Selected Findings

8. Figure 1. Themes and subthemes for sociocultural environment.

9. "A picture of some coffee cup litter […] I got right down to take this picture because litter is a psychological barrier to me, to my enjoyment of the outdoors and being more physically active." (-) (Male, Adult) Aesthetics Trash and Debris

10. "Okay, this one is my lawnmower, that keeps me, that is a form of exercise for me in my yard [...] So, I mean that is good exercise, it’s good cardio [...]. This is actually a free physical activity." (+) (Female, Adult) Motivation for Physical Activity Domestic Chores

11. Conclusion Through the participants’ lenses, this study revealed a set of aspects of the sociocultural environment influencing people’s abilities to be physically active. Strategies to decrease sedentary behaviours should: build on diverse ideas of recreation and physical activity promote the beautification and maintenance of communities increase feelings of safety challenge car culture enhance social cohesion and support among community members

12. For more information about this research: Ana Paula Belon, PhD Email address: ana.belon@ualberta.caana.belon@ualberta.ca For more information about PLACE Research Lab or conversation: Website: placeresearchlab.complaceresearchlab.com Project Coordinator: Laura Nieuwendyk, MSc Email address: laura.nieuwendyk@ualberta.calaura.nieuwendyk@ualberta.ca Tel: (780) 492-3902 Funders KILLAM RESEARCH FUND (University of Alberta)

13. Extra slides

14. 1st individual semi-structured interview (1h) Taking the photographs (2 weeks) 2nd individual semi-structured interview (1.5h) Summarizing participants photographs (top five) Display of the photographs in the community 5 PHASES Nykiforuk CIJ, Vallianatos H, Nieuwendyk LM. Photovoice as a Method for Revealing Community Perceptions of the Built and Social Environment. Inter Inst Qual Methodology 2011; 10(2):103-23 Physical activity

15. N = 952 Figure 1. Type of environment discussed in the follow-up interviews. (sources)

16. "Oh, this one I took because there was a girl standing outside the library, which is like a naked, I think maybe that is why people don’t walk in our neighborhood, because you know " (-) (Female, Senior) Safety Prostitution

17. Recommendations for Research Exploring how individuals perceive their community environments can be used to complement objective (audits) and perceived (questionnaires in surveys) environmental measures. ANGELO framework helps organize the emergent qualitative themes from the photovoice project. Focus on particular groups: Elderly (Mahmood et al., 2012) and Children (Hennessy et al., 2010). Nykiforuk CIJ, Vallianatos H, Nieuwendyk LM. Photovoice as a Method for Revealing Community Perceptions of the Built and Social Environment. Inter Inst Qual Methodology 2011; 10(2):103-23