I Like to Jump on My Trampoline: An Analysis of Drawings From 8-to 12-Year-Old Children Beginning a Weight-Management Program

The main objective of this exploratory study was to assess children's perceptions of their activity choices as they began a weight-management program for overweight children and their families. During pretesting of a 10-week weight-management program, participating children were asked to draw pictures of themselves doing something. The drawings of 35 children, ages 8 to 12, were qualitatively analyzed. The analysis focused on (a) the type of activities (i.e., physical or sedentary) children chose to convey, (b) the specific focus of the activities described, (c) the children's future activity choices, and (d) the children's responses to the activities they drew. Seventy-one percent of the participating children drew themselves engaged in a physical activity. These results are notable and suggest positive perceptions of physical activities. Children's views related to their activity choices might play a role in designing weight-management programs that successfully increase children's adherence to long-term physical activity.