‘Just normal’, ‘calming’ and ‘well looked after’
A qualitative exploration of adolescents’ constructions of active mobility and place in Australia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22945160 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Himashini Whitley (0000-0001-6135-9795, Deakin University, corresponding author), Shannon Sahlqvist (0000-0002-3714-9533, Deakin University), Octavia Calder-Dawe (0000-0003-2383-4529, Victoria University of Wellington), Anna Timperio (0000-0002-8773-5012, Deakin University), J Veitch (0000-0001-8962-0887, Deakin University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Health Promotion International (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0957-4824 • E-ISSN: 1460-2245 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/heapro/daaf155 |
| PMID | 41017444 |
| OpenAlex | W4414615958 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 46 |
The active mobility experiences of adolescents intersect with those of younger children and older youth in many ways. However, existing research informing health promotion is limited in its exploration of the distinct features that differentiate adolescent active mobilities and the differences within adolescence. Drawing on interviews and audio-recorded walking tours with 12 adolescents aged between 12 and 15 from urban areas of Australia, this paper examines adolescents’ constructions of active mobility and place in their local areas. We adopted a constructionist epistemological approach and conducted a reflexive thematic analysis of adolescents’ accounts. Our analysis suggests that adolescents construct mobility as an everyday, utilitarian practice, and understand clean, well-maintained places to constitute a ‘good’ neighbourhood. Unlike younger children, our analysis illustrates how urban risk was also constructed as an everyday aspect of mobility that adolescents could navigate with little effort. Mobility as offering connection (both socially and to self) was also a key theme generated by our analysis as a potentially distinct aspect of local active mobilities during the adolescencent years. Based on this, we recommend further critical enquiry into opportunities for enhancing connection in mobility among adolescents from diverse population groups.
Geographic mobility · Mobilities · Qualitative research · Reflexivity · Social constructionism · Strict constructionism · Thematic analysis · Theme (computing) · Injury Epidemiology and Prevention · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Urban Transport and Accessibility
Systematic review of the relationships between objectively measured physical activity and health indicators in school-aged children and youth
Problematic social media use in childhood and adolescence
Physical Activity Play
Thematic Analysis
Playing for health? Revisiting health promotion to examine the emerging public health position on children's play
Sustaining youth physical activity in times of challenge and change
Children’s intervention participation is associated with more positive beliefs towards active school transportation among parents
To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales
‘Walking … just walking’
Active travel to non-school destinations but not to school is associated with higher physical activity levels in an ethnically diverse sample of inner-city schoolchildren
Rethinking walkability and developing a conceptual definition of active living environments to guide research and practice
Associations of children's active school travel with perceptions of the physical environment and characteristics of the social environment
Environmental correlates of children's active transportation
Conforming to intensive parenting ideals
Understanding the reproduction of health inequalities
Social and built-environment factors related to children's independent mobility
I’m very happy with where she’s at’
Keep Your Wheels Off the Furniture”
Parental chauffeurs
Risk, nostalgia and the production of the ideal childhood in online commentary on children’s outdoor play
Is it fun?” developing children centred research methods
Oh Yes I Can.”“Oh No You Can't”
Young People’s Urban Im/Mobilities
It’s a good start to the day
Geographies of Youth/Young People
Pathways to participation
Children's everyday encounters and affective relations with place
The New Mobilities Paradigm
Sample Size in Qualitative Interview Studies
Sense and the city
Paranoid parenting? Rematerializing risk and fear for children
Growing up, moving out, going on
Transitional geographies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |