‘A really good balance’: Thematic analysis of stakeholders’ views on classroom- and games-based positive choices interventions for primary school children

This study explores the views of children, parents, school staff and intervention staff regarding interventions designed to promote healthy lifestyles and positive choices in primary schools in the North East of England, United Kingdom. The interventions consisted of six weekly sessions in which classroom learning was followed by physically active games. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 45 participants and thematic analysis was performed on the resultant 26 transcripts to identify themes relating to the role of physical activity, facilitators and barriers to children’s engagement in the sessions and the perceived outcomes of intervention participation. Results indicated that participants across the four groups felt the inclusion of classroom learning and physical activity made the interventions suitable for a range of children, with the games reinforcing classroom messages and acting as a reward for their work. Central to children’s active engagement was their enjoyment, and they were felt to benefit in terms of psychosocial wellbeing and–especially when the topic of the intervention was fitness and nutrition–physical wellbeing. Overall, combined classroom- and games-based interventions were valued methods for communicating healthy lifestyle and positive choices messages to a primary school audience, though research into intervention outcomes is currently limited.