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Children's understandings of obesity, a thematic analysis
Childhood obesity is a major concern in todayâs society. Research suggests the inclusion of the views and understandings of a target group facilitates strategies that have better efficacy. The objective of this study was to explore the concepts and themes that make up childrenâs understandings of the causes and consequences of obesity. Participants were selected from Reception (4-5 years old) and Year 6 (10-11 years old), and attended a school in an area of Sunderland, in North East England. Participants were separated according to age and gender, resulting in four focus groups, run across two sessions. A thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) identified overarching themes evident across all groups, suggesting the key concepts that contribute to childrenâs understandings of obesity are ââKnowledge through Education,ââ ââRole Models,ââ ââFat is Bad,ââ and ââMixed Messages.ââ The implications of these findings and considerations of the methodology are discussed in full