Miranda Thurston
Biographic Data
| ID | 295249 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Miranda Thurston |
| GIVEN NAMES | Miranda |
| FAMILY NAME | Thurston |
| SIGNATURE | THURSTON M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Inland Norway |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7779-3836 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 41 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 90 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 41 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Conceptualizing the Digital Food Environment: A Framework
Food environments are important determinants of food choice and consumption and, consequently, drivers of global health and nutrition challenges such as obesity and noncommunicable diseases. These challenges are intensified by the ubiquitous presence of digital technology, which affects food practices. The goal of this study was to develop a middle‐range theory for understanding the digital food environment in late modernity. We conducted a criti…
Using theories of power and place to evaluate community health promotion
There is some consensus that better ways of evaluating complex public health programmes are needed as experimental methods are limited in explaining the 'how' and 'why' of change. Methods like 'theory-of-change,' 'realist evaluation,' and 'systems evaluation' try to give a more complete picture of change by looking at the context of the programme. However, when these methods are used to study programmes that aim to reduce health inequalities, the…
Promoting daily physical activity in Norway as a Fysak school: A comparative longitudinal study of lower secondary school pupil
Background Schools have been described as “ideal settings” for promoting PA, but they have struggled to find effective and sustainable ways of doing so given the demands of the curriculum. In Norway, the FYSAK school model is an example of a population approach to PA promotion wherein daily PA is embedded into the routines of the school. Little is known about the extent to which the model supports pupils' daily PA, especially with regard to meeti…
Harried and stressful or hurried and rewarding? A study of young Norwegians’ active leisure lives
Physically active learning in education discourses: Problem representations and subject positions in Norwegian policies
Sports participation among Norwegian youth: A Study of Early Sporting Careers
Despite a growing body of evidence suggesting that establishing sporting repertoires during youth is intimately related to ongoing participation in sport, little is known about how such repertoires develop during the crucial early teenage years, when the sporting habits that provide a basis for sporting careers take shape. The aim of the study was, therefore, to describe the structure of young people's sporting repertoires as they move through a …
The digitalization of young women's food environments in Norway
Food environments, which significantly influence dietary patterns and health outcomes, are undergoing an accelerated process of digitalization. Young people are vulnerable to the adverse effects of food environment digitalization, with young women particularly affected due to their heavy exposure to social media. This study explores the process of digitalization of young women's food environments in Norway. Using a grounded theory approach, we co…
Applying intervention mapping to develop a program for promoting short physical activity breaks during class time in upper secondary schools: The Move12 protocol study
IntroductionPhysical inactivity is a global health challenge, exacerbated by increased screen time and sedentary behaviors. Enhancing physical activity levels at schools offers a promising approach to promote lifelong healthy habits.MethodsThis protocol paper outlines the MOVE12 pilot study, a 12-week intervention study designed to increase physical activity among Norwegian upper secondary school students through 6-7-min daily MOVE-breaks integra…
‘Now we have gym, now we have to perform’: Norwegian students’ perceptions of assessment and grading in physical education
Assessment has become a routine feature of school life, internationally. Little is known, however, about the consequences for young people of assessment and grading in physical education (PE) – a subject often associated with physical recreation. This paper explores young Norwegian’s perceptions of assessment and grading in PE from a sociological perspective. In doing so, it contemplates the penetration of neo-liberal discourses as part of wider …
Engagement in ‘prevailing societal challenges’ as a contribution to wellbeing? An analysis of interdisciplinary topics in the Norwegian curriculum (LK20)
Objective This paper explores the expectations of teachers to contribute to fostering students’ wellbeing in the revised Norwegian curriculum. A new construct in the curriculum is three interdisciplinary topics – health and life skills; democracy and citizenship; and, sustainable development – included to give priority to prevailing societal challenges. Our specific concern is the content of these topics, and the extent to which they provide a fr…
Existential Well-Being in Nature: A Cross-Cultural and Descriptive Phenomenological Approach
Exploring the putative role of nature in human well-being has typically been operationalized and measured within a quantitative paradigm of research. However, such approaches are limited in the extent to which they can capture the full range of how natural experiences support well-being. The aim of the study was to explore personal experiences in nature and consider how they might be important to human health and well-being. Based on a descriptiv…
Habitus, capital and the shaping of sporting careers: A qualitative study of Norwegian youth
Finding the sweet spot of physically active learning: A need for co-ownership by public health and education
The growing interest in Physically Active Learning (PAL) (e.g. in practice and research) warrants exploration of multi-stakeholders’ perceptions, understandings, and enactment of PAL. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with professionals from eight countries (n = 6 researchers, n = 6 teachers and n = 6 teacher educators) were conducted and analysed thematically eliciting three themes; 1) placing PAL on a continuum, 2) putting PAL into action in …
Teachers’ sensemaking of physically active learning: A qualitative study of primary and secondary school teachers participating in a continuing professional development program in Norway
Physically active learning (PAL) has been advocated as a strategy for enhancing young people's movement and learning. To understand how PAL is accepted, adapted, and used by teachers, this study interviewed 16 teachers. The concept of sensemaking and thematic analysis was used in the study. The findings illustrate that teachers made sense of PAL through the lens of professional identity, using PAL to vary their teaching and include students of va…
Just because it's fun, it's not without purpose”: Exploring the blurred lines of physically active learning
While physically active learning has been positioned as a research field that deals with physical activity and learning, little attention has been given to pedagogy. This study aimed to explore teachers as constitutive of the teaching-learning process and conceptualise pedagogical aspects of physically active learning by understanding its enactment in a pedagogical practice. Findings indicate blurred lines between the underpinning pedagogies of p…
It's the journey, not the arrival that matters – Teachers' perceptions of their practice after participating in a continuing professional development program in physically active learning
Continuing professional development (CPD) programs have been suggested as a way of supporting teachers' use of physically active learning (PAL) to enhance pupils' learning. Drawing on Dewey's theory of ‘education as growth’ (1916), this qualitative study explored teachers' perceptions of their practice after participating in a CPD program in PAL. Findings from eleven semi-structured interviews analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis illustra…
Pasung: A qualitative study of shackling family members with mental illness in Indonesia
Use of coercion on people with mental illness is a deeply embedded practice around the world. Not only does the practice raise human rights issues, it also leads to further mental, physical, and emotional harms. In Indonesia, 'pasung' is a common practice of physical restraint, which involves lay people using a variety of illegal methods to tie a person. In this article, we explore the meanings families attach to their actions when using pasung b…
Not to judge by the looks but you can tell by the looks!’ Physical capital as symbolic capital in the individualization of health among young Norwegians
In this paper we explore how 15–16-year-old Norwegians experience social and cultural norms that shape their relationship with health and physical activity (PA) in a country where participation in PA is normative, in the sense that it is not only a widely shared practice but, in having significant cultural traction, is commonly understood as a ‘normal’ part of Norwegian daily life. The study draws upon qualitative data generated from 31 focus gro…
Go beyond your own comfort zone and challenge yourself”: A comparison on the use of physically active learning in Norway, the Netherlands and the UK
The adoption of physically active learning (PAL) in schools is becoming more widespread. To understand how PAL is being used in different countries and explore if and how methods and strategies differ, this paper draws cross-national comparisons in primary school teachers' use of PAL. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 54 teachers from Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. Four themes were identified using thematic analysis: 1) teachers' val…
From science to sensational headline: A critical examination of the “sugar as toxic” narrative
Over the past few decades, some scholars have labeled sugar “toxic” and portrayed it as the primary cause of diet-related health conditions. In this paper, this sugar as toxic rhetoric – which is widely echoed in the public sphere – is critically examined in terms of its physiological basis and wider social consequences. We argue that the claims of the narrative are oversimplified and partly based on a particular interpretation of scientific stud…
‘Even if you don’t care…you do care after all’: ‘Othering’ and physical education in Norway
In the past decade or more, improving young people’s mental health has been identified as a priority for policy-makers in many countries, including Norway. Physical education, as a setting for physical activity, is increasingly viewed as having a potentially significant role to play in addressing mental health among the young. This paper reports the findings from a study of 148 Norwegian youngsters (68 girls and 80 boys) from the 10th grade (15–1…
From public issues to personal troubles: Individualising social inequalities in health within local public health partnerships
This paper explores public health policy implementation through partnership working at the local level by examining how local actors from public health, and the wider workforce make sense of and work on social inequalities in health. An ethnographic case study was used to examine policy implementation in one local strategic partnership in north-west England during a period of significant resource constraint. Semi-structured interviews were the pr…
A quest for relaxation? A figurational analysis of the transformation of yoga into a global leisure time phenomenon
Eric Dunning and Norbert Elias began developing their concept 'quest for excitement' in the 1960s. In this paper we consider the concept in the context of their work on the civilizing process and leisure in the spare-time spectrum, applying it to an analysis of the global diffusion and transformation of yoga. In so doing, we develop a preliminary theoretical account of its global popularity as a leisure-time movement form. We specifically conside…
Norwegian youngsters’ perceptions of physical education: Exploring the implications for mental health
Improving young people’s mental health has become a priority for policy-makers in Norway as elsewhere. Although the evidence is limited, physical activity has been identified as having a role in mental health promotion with school physical education (PE) typically being presented as a suitable setting. Few studies, however, have explored young people’s perceptions and experiences of PE and the possible consequences for their mental health – the d…
The association between physical activity and symptoms of depression in different contexts – a cross-sectional study of Norwegian adolescents
Physical activity in a sports club was associated with significantly lower odds for symptoms of depression, suggesting a possible role for social interaction in addition to physical activity per se. It is important, therefore, to consider in which types of contexts physical activities take place, not only focusing on physical activity frequency and volume when investigating the association between adolescents' physical activity and mental health.…
Go beyond your own comfort zone and challenge yourself”: A comparison on the use of physically active learning in Norway, the Netherlands and the UK
The adoption of physically active learning (PAL) in schools is becoming more widespread. To understand how PAL is being used in different countries and explore if and how methods and strategies differ, this paper draws cross-national comparisons in primary school teachers' use of PAL. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 54 teachers from Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. Four themes were identified using thematic analysis: 1) teachers' val…
Involvement and Detachment in Researching Sexuality: Reflections on the Process of Semistructured Interviewing
In this article, the authors reflect on the utility of the concept of involvement-detachment for researchers involved in a study of the lifeworlds of gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people where one of the researchers was lesbian. They focus in particular on the process of semistructured interviewing in qualitative research and the analysis of material generated by the interviews, noting that complete detachment from the subject of study is neit…
Activity choice’ and physical education in England and Wales
This paper draws on data from a broader study, the central object of which was to explore the place of sport and physical activity in young people's lives. More particularly, the paper reports the findings of 24 focus groups conducted with 153 15–16 year olds in north-west England and north-east Wales in order to examine young people's views towards activity choice in physical education (PE). In this regard, it is suggested that despite their dee…
Norwegian youngsters’ perceptions of physical education: Exploring the implications for mental health
Improving young people’s mental health has become a priority for policy-makers in Norway as elsewhere. Although the evidence is limited, physical activity has been identified as having a role in mental health promotion with school physical education (PE) typically being presented as a suitable setting. Few studies, however, have explored young people’s perceptions and experiences of PE and the possible consequences for their mental health – the d…
Social class and the emergent organised sporting habits of primary-aged children
This paper reports on the patterns of participation in organised sports of youngsters coming towards the end of primary school, with a view to identifying emergent sporting habits in relation to social class gradients. The data for the study were generated via 90 semi-structured interviews with parents and children from 62 families. The data revealed differences in organised activity participation (both at and beyond school) between an ‘under-cla…
Young people's participation in National Curriculum Physical Education: A study of 15—16 year olds in North-West England and North-East Wales
Drawing on data from a broader study which investigated the place of spor t and physical activity in the lives of 15—16 year olds in England and Wales, this paper examines a relatively neglected dimension of research in physical education, namely, young people's par ticipation in spor t and physical activity through National Curriculum Physical Education (NCPE). The paper repor ts upon data generated by questionnaires completed by 1010 15—16 year…
Young people's participation in extracurricular physical education: A study of 15—16 year olds in North-West England and North-East Wales
This paper examines the levels and forms of participation in extracurricular physical education (PE) of a cohort of 1010 15—16 year olds attending seven state schools in north-west England and north-east Wales. The data reveal that extracurricular PE provision in all schools retained a particular focus on competitive team sports alongside a number of recreational partner sports and individualized activities. At the same time, the study confirmed …
A quest for relaxation? A figurational analysis of the transformation of yoga into a global leisure time phenomenon
Eric Dunning and Norbert Elias began developing their concept 'quest for excitement' in the 1960s. In this paper we consider the concept in the context of their work on the civilizing process and leisure in the spare-time spectrum, applying it to an analysis of the global diffusion and transformation of yoga. In so doing, we develop a preliminary theoretical account of its global popularity as a leisure-time movement form. We specifically conside…
Teachers’ sensemaking of physically active learning: A qualitative study of primary and secondary school teachers participating in a continuing professional development program in Norway
Physically active learning (PAL) has been advocated as a strategy for enhancing young people's movement and learning. To understand how PAL is accepted, adapted, and used by teachers, this study interviewed 16 teachers. The concept of sensemaking and thematic analysis was used in the study. The findings illustrate that teachers made sense of PAL through the lens of professional identity, using PAL to vary their teaching and include students of va…
Just because it's fun, it's not without purpose”: Exploring the blurred lines of physically active learning
While physically active learning has been positioned as a research field that deals with physical activity and learning, little attention has been given to pedagogy. This study aimed to explore teachers as constitutive of the teaching-learning process and conceptualise pedagogical aspects of physically active learning by understanding its enactment in a pedagogical practice. Findings indicate blurred lines between the underpinning pedagogies of p…
It's the journey, not the arrival that matters – Teachers' perceptions of their practice after participating in a continuing professional development program in physically active learning
Continuing professional development (CPD) programs have been suggested as a way of supporting teachers' use of physically active learning (PAL) to enhance pupils' learning. Drawing on Dewey's theory of ‘education as growth’ (1916), this qualitative study explored teachers' perceptions of their practice after participating in a CPD program in PAL. Findings from eleven semi-structured interviews analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis illustra…
From science to sensational headline: A critical examination of the “sugar as toxic” narrative
Over the past few decades, some scholars have labeled sugar “toxic” and portrayed it as the primary cause of diet-related health conditions. In this paper, this sugar as toxic rhetoric – which is widely echoed in the public sphere – is critically examined in terms of its physiological basis and wider social consequences. We argue that the claims of the narrative are oversimplified and partly based on a particular interpretation of scientific stud…
Understanding family support provision within the context of prevention: A critical analysis of a local voluntary sector project
This paper presents a model of service process for a family support service at the preventative level as part of a wider debate about child welfare systems in the UK and beyond. The paper places the debate about the shape of preventative family support services within the policy context and uses it to critique various models of service provision, principally the ‘child rescue’ paradigm. From this, the paper explores the characteristics that const…
Finding the sweet spot of physically active learning: A need for co-ownership by public health and education
The growing interest in Physically Active Learning (PAL) (e.g. in practice and research) warrants exploration of multi-stakeholders’ perceptions, understandings, and enactment of PAL. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with professionals from eight countries (n = 6 researchers, n = 6 teachers and n = 6 teacher educators) were conducted and analysed thematically eliciting three themes; 1) placing PAL on a continuum, 2) putting PAL into action in …
Isn’t it good, Norwegian wood? Lifestyle and adventure sports participation among Norwegian youth
This paper explores Norwegian youngsters’ (and, to a lesser extent, adults’) engagement with conventional and lifestyle sports via an examination of recent trends. In the process, it explores the significance or otherwise of ‘nature-based settings’ and the developing character of lifestyle sports. In terms of changes in youth sport, young Norwegians are the quintessential sporting omnivores. However, the particular mix of conventional and lifesty…
Busy doing nothing? Physical education teachers' perceptions of young people's participation in leisure-sport
Within the substantial body of research examining the professional knowledge of physical education (PE) teachers one particular area remains relatively under-explored: namely, their understandings of young people's participation in leisure-sport and the implications of this, if any, for the practice of PE. There are grounds for thinking, however, that in this aspect of their professional knowledge PE teachers might not be as conversant with patte…
Pasung: A qualitative study of shackling family members with mental illness in Indonesia
Use of coercion on people with mental illness is a deeply embedded practice around the world. Not only does the practice raise human rights issues, it also leads to further mental, physical, and emotional harms. In Indonesia, 'pasung' is a common practice of physical restraint, which involves lay people using a variety of illegal methods to tie a person. In this article, we explore the meanings families attach to their actions when using pasung b…
Propinquity, sociability and excitement: Exploring the normalisation of sensible drug use among 15–16-year-olds in north-west England and north-east Wales
This paper explores normalised drug use as an aspect of young people's leisure careers. Qualitative data generated by 24 single-sex focus groups with 153 (85 males; 68 females) 15–16-year-olds attending seven schools in north-west England and north-east Wales revealed that young people's drug use tended to be both heterogeneous and situation specific. Indeed, rather than being actively sought out, 15–16-year-olds’ drug use was often characterised…
Adherence to exercise in later life: How can exercise on prescription programmes be made more effective?
A broad consensus has emerged in relation to the desirability of promoting exercise among a variety of 'at risk' groups via 'exercise on prescription' (EoP) schemes, as an alternative to orthodox, biomedical approaches to the management of health problems. Underpinning the rationale for such schemes is the notion that they can act as vehicles for encouraging long-term adherence to exercise. Whilst there is a common sense appeal to using EoP schem…
Involvement and Detachment in Researching Sexuality: Reflections on the Process of Semistructured Interviewing
In this article, the authors reflect on the utility of the concept of involvement-detachment for researchers involved in a study of the lifeworlds of gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people where one of the researchers was lesbian. They focus in particular on the process of semistructured interviewing in qualitative research and the analysis of material generated by the interviews, noting that complete detachment from the subject of study is neit…
Understanding Mothers’ Engagement with Antenatal Parent Education Services: A Critical Analysis of a local Sure Start Service
This article discusses the issue of engagement in antenatal parent education for women living in deprived areas. The article focuses on the findings of a local evaluation of a Sure Start parent education programme designed to improve parental engagement with antenatal services. The article discusses the re‐orientation of this service, the impact on service users and the implications for professionals. Evidence suggests that this service has been …
Understanding family support provision within the context of prevention: A critical analysis of a local voluntary sector project
This paper presents a model of service process for a family support service at the preventative level as part of a wider debate about child welfare systems in the UK and beyond. The paper places the debate about the shape of preventative family support services within the policy context and uses it to critique various models of service provision, principally the ‘child rescue’ paradigm. From this, the paper explores the characteristics that const…
Young people's participation in National Curriculum Physical Education: A study of 15—16 year olds in North-West England and North-East Wales
Drawing on data from a broader study which investigated the place of spor t and physical activity in the lives of 15—16 year olds in England and Wales, this paper examines a relatively neglected dimension of research in physical education, namely, young people's par ticipation in spor t and physical activity through National Curriculum Physical Education (NCPE). The paper repor ts upon data generated by questionnaires completed by 1010 15—16 year…
Young people's participation in extracurricular physical education: A study of 15—16 year olds in North-West England and North-East Wales
This paper examines the levels and forms of participation in extracurricular physical education (PE) of a cohort of 1010 15—16 year olds attending seven state schools in north-west England and north-east Wales. The data reveal that extracurricular PE provision in all schools retained a particular focus on competitive team sports alongside a number of recreational partner sports and individualized activities. At the same time, the study confirmed …
Elite Athletes’ Perspectives on Providing Whereabouts Information: A Survey of Athletes in the Norwegian Registered Testing Pool / Das Meldesystem und die Anti-Doping-Bestimmungen aus der Sicht der At…
This paper reports on the perspectives of elite athletes on anti-doping work in general and on the whereabouts system in particular, and uses a figurational perspective to explore the unintended consequences of the planned introduction of the whereabouts system. A cross-sectional survey of all the athletes in the Norwegian registered testing pool (n = 236, response rate = 80.8%) was carried out in 2006, using a structured questionnaire. Overall, …
Busy doing nothing? Physical education teachers' perceptions of young people's participation in leisure-sport
Within the substantial body of research examining the professional knowledge of physical education (PE) teachers one particular area remains relatively under-explored: namely, their understandings of young people's participation in leisure-sport and the implications of this, if any, for the practice of PE. There are grounds for thinking, however, that in this aspect of their professional knowledge PE teachers might not be as conversant with patte…
Activity choice’ and physical education in England and Wales
This paper draws on data from a broader study, the central object of which was to explore the place of sport and physical activity in young people's lives. More particularly, the paper reports the findings of 24 focus groups conducted with 153 15–16 year olds in north-west England and north-east Wales in order to examine young people's views towards activity choice in physical education (PE). In this regard, it is suggested that despite their dee…
Propinquity, sociability and excitement: Exploring the normalisation of sensible drug use among 15–16-year-olds in north-west England and north-east Wales
This paper explores normalised drug use as an aspect of young people's leisure careers. Qualitative data generated by 24 single-sex focus groups with 153 (85 males; 68 females) 15–16-year-olds attending seven schools in north-west England and north-east Wales revealed that young people's drug use tended to be both heterogeneous and situation specific. Indeed, rather than being actively sought out, 15–16-year-olds’ drug use was often characterised…
The NHS health check programme in England: A qualitative study
Despite an extensive evidence-base linking patterns of health with social determinants, recent public health policy has emphasized 'lifestyle diseases' and risk factor modification through behavioural and pharmacological intervention. In England, one manifestation of this has been the launch of the National Health Service Health Check programme. This paper reports findings from a small-scale qualitative study exploring experiences of engaging wit…
Local status and power in area-based health improvement partnerships
Area-based initiatives have formed an important part of public policy towards more socio-economically deprived areas in many countries. Co-ordinating service provision within and across sectors has been a common feature of these initiatives. Despite sustained policy interest in area-based initiatives, little empirical work has explored relations between area-based initiative providers, and partnership development within this context remains under…
It’s not the government’s responsibility to get me out running 10 km four times a week’ - Norwegian men’s understandings of responsibility for health
The individualization of health has been extensively discussed in the last few decades. Empirical work, however, has mainly had its origins within neoliberal societies. Norway, as a social democratic welfare state based on universal social rights and egalitarianism is thus of interest in understanding how people’s talk reflects national policies. Through a series of 18 in-depth interviews with a heterogeneous group of middle-aged and elderly men …
Isn’t it good, Norwegian wood? Lifestyle and adventure sports participation among Norwegian youth
This paper explores Norwegian youngsters’ (and, to a lesser extent, adults’) engagement with conventional and lifestyle sports via an examination of recent trends. In the process, it explores the significance or otherwise of ‘nature-based settings’ and the developing character of lifestyle sports. In terms of changes in youth sport, young Norwegians are the quintessential sporting omnivores. However, the particular mix of conventional and lifesty…
Theorising lifestyle drift in health promotion: Explaining community and voluntary sector engagement practices in disadvantaged areas
The past two decades have seen an increasing role for the UK community and voluntary sector (CVS) in health promotion in disadvantaged areas, largely based on assumptions on the part of funders that CVS providers are better able to engage ‘hard-to-reach’ population groups in services than statutory providers. However, there is limited empirical research exploring CVS provider practices in this field. Using ethnographic data, this paper examines t…
Social class and the emergent organised sporting habits of primary-aged children
This paper reports on the patterns of participation in organised sports of youngsters coming towards the end of primary school, with a view to identifying emergent sporting habits in relation to social class gradients. The data for the study were generated via 90 semi-structured interviews with parents and children from 62 families. The data revealed differences in organised activity participation (both at and beyond school) between an ‘under-cla…
The association between physical activity and symptoms of depression in different contexts – a cross-sectional study of Norwegian adolescents
Physical activity in a sports club was associated with significantly lower odds for symptoms of depression, suggesting a possible role for social interaction in addition to physical activity per se. It is important, therefore, to consider in which types of contexts physical activities take place, not only focusing on physical activity frequency and volume when investigating the association between adolescents' physical activity and mental health.…
Norwegian youngsters’ perceptions of physical education: Exploring the implications for mental health
Improving young people’s mental health has become a priority for policy-makers in Norway as elsewhere. Although the evidence is limited, physical activity has been identified as having a role in mental health promotion with school physical education (PE) typically being presented as a suitable setting. Few studies, however, have explored young people’s perceptions and experiences of PE and the possible consequences for their mental health – the d…
‘Even if you don’t care…you do care after all’: ‘Othering’ and physical education in Norway
In the past decade or more, improving young people’s mental health has been identified as a priority for policy-makers in many countries, including Norway. Physical education, as a setting for physical activity, is increasingly viewed as having a potentially significant role to play in addressing mental health among the young. This paper reports the findings from a study of 148 Norwegian youngsters (68 girls and 80 boys) from the 10th grade (15–1…
From public issues to personal troubles: Individualising social inequalities in health within local public health partnerships
This paper explores public health policy implementation through partnership working at the local level by examining how local actors from public health, and the wider workforce make sense of and work on social inequalities in health. An ethnographic case study was used to examine policy implementation in one local strategic partnership in north-west England during a period of significant resource constraint. Semi-structured interviews were the pr…
A quest for relaxation? A figurational analysis of the transformation of yoga into a global leisure time phenomenon
Eric Dunning and Norbert Elias began developing their concept 'quest for excitement' in the 1960s. In this paper we consider the concept in the context of their work on the civilizing process and leisure in the spare-time spectrum, applying it to an analysis of the global diffusion and transformation of yoga. In so doing, we develop a preliminary theoretical account of its global popularity as a leisure-time movement form. We specifically conside…
From science to sensational headline: A critical examination of the “sugar as toxic” narrative
Over the past few decades, some scholars have labeled sugar “toxic” and portrayed it as the primary cause of diet-related health conditions. In this paper, this sugar as toxic rhetoric – which is widely echoed in the public sphere – is critically examined in terms of its physiological basis and wider social consequences. We argue that the claims of the narrative are oversimplified and partly based on a particular interpretation of scientific stud…
Not to judge by the looks but you can tell by the looks!’ Physical capital as symbolic capital in the individualization of health among young Norwegians
In this paper we explore how 15–16-year-old Norwegians experience social and cultural norms that shape their relationship with health and physical activity (PA) in a country where participation in PA is normative, in the sense that it is not only a widely shared practice but, in having significant cultural traction, is commonly understood as a ‘normal’ part of Norwegian daily life. The study draws upon qualitative data generated from 31 focus gro…
Go beyond your own comfort zone and challenge yourself”: A comparison on the use of physically active learning in Norway, the Netherlands and the UK
The adoption of physically active learning (PAL) in schools is becoming more widespread. To understand how PAL is being used in different countries and explore if and how methods and strategies differ, this paper draws cross-national comparisons in primary school teachers' use of PAL. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 54 teachers from Norway, the Netherlands and the UK. Four themes were identified using thematic analysis: 1) teachers' val…
Teachers’ sensemaking of physically active learning: A qualitative study of primary and secondary school teachers participating in a continuing professional development program in Norway
Physically active learning (PAL) has been advocated as a strategy for enhancing young people's movement and learning. To understand how PAL is accepted, adapted, and used by teachers, this study interviewed 16 teachers. The concept of sensemaking and thematic analysis was used in the study. The findings illustrate that teachers made sense of PAL through the lens of professional identity, using PAL to vary their teaching and include students of va…
Psychology (34 works) · Sociology (28 works) · Political science (23 works) · Medicine (16 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Pedagogy (15 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Social science (13 works) · Norwegian (12 works) · Physical Education and Pedagogy (12 works)