9th Biennial ACSPRI Social Science Methodology Conference

Introduction: Schools have been identified as a key setting to deliver public health programs. To fully understand the value of school-based public health programs, it is essential to explore not only the primary health impacts but also any additional benefits they may offer for children. Additionally, exploring how these programs affect different subgroups of children can help to address health inequities. This information is attainable through qualitative research methods, however school-based research rarely includes children. We used novel qualitative methods with students, supplemented with interviews of teachers, to explore the impacts of a daily sport uniform policy aimed to improve student physical activity.

Methods: We purposively sampled schools from urban and rural areas in NSW, Australia that had implemented a daily sport uniform policy. Consenting schools facilitated recruitment of teachers and student participants. Semi-structured focus groups of students and interviews of teachers were conducted during school break time. For student focus groups, we used creative, age-appropriate techniques such as visual and written responses on post-it notes and physical movement to ensure student comfort while enhancing their engagement and contribution. Inductive thematic analysis was then used for both data sets (students and teachers), with triangulation of findings across data sets.

Results: Focus groups and interviews involved 13 students and two teachers across different schools. Students were highly engaged with the focus group activities, eliciting rich verbal and written/visual data for analysis. Analysis revealed several key findings: sport uniforms not only enhanced student physical activity during and outside schools hours (as intended), but they also had numerous other positive impacts on student wellbeing including reduced stress, and increased comfort. The daily sport uniform was especially important for girls, allowing them to move freely and feel more confident every day of the school week.

Conclusion: The use of innovative and pragmatic qualitative methods in this study allowed for an in-depth exploration of the impacts of a daily sport uniform policy, capturing both anticipated and unexpected effects on students and teachers. The method we used ensured high engagement and comfort among student participants, yielding rich, multi-dimensional data. The triangulation of findings from both students and teachers strengthened the robustness of the results. These methodological approaches underscore the value of qualitative research in school settings, particularly when working with children, and demonstrate the importance of using intentional qualitative methods to fully capture the diverse impacts of public health interventions.