A Content Analysis of Physical Activity in TV Shows Popular Among Adolescents.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Previous research has demonstrated that television has the potential to influence youth behaviors, but little evidence exists on how television depicts physical activity (PA), an important public health priority for youth. This mixed-methods study investigated depictions of television characters' participation in PA in the top 25 favorite shows ranked by a diverse sample of 2,793 adolescents.

Method

Randomly selected episodes from each show were content-analyzed for PA incidents, reasons, and context and in relation to the gender and weight status of participating characters.

Results

A total of 374 incidents of PA were coded across 75 episodes, with an average of 5.0 incidents per episode. Although male and female characters were equally likely to engage in at

SUBMITTER: Gietzen MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5586144 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature