Being Relaxed and Powerful: Children’s Lived Experiences of Coping with Stress

Our aim was to describe and develop an understanding of children’s lived experiences of coping with stress. Twenty‐three Swedish children, ages 10–12, wrote open letters and were interviewed. The phenomenological analysis resulted in three main themes: (i) depending on oneself, others and the world around, (ii) choosing to be a doer and (iii) being in the here and now. We understood the children’s lived experiences of coping with stress as them being relaxed and powerful. The children chose to be active doers or inactive beings and their relationships, as well as their surroundings, helped or hindered their coping. Possible health promotion work is discussed.     

Campus walkability, pedometer-determined steps, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: a comparison of 2 university campuses

OBJECTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS: At 2 Arizona State University (ASU) campuses, the authors measured student activity and distance walked on campus, as well as student-reported walkability around the student union. METHODS: Students from ASU-Polytechnic (n = 20, 33% male) and ASU-Tempe (n = 20, 60% male) recorded distance walked on campus and wore physical activity monitors for 5 days. RESULTS: Polytechnic students spent an average of 36.9 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each week; Tempe students spent 69.5 minutes (p < .001). At Polytechnic, students walked an average of 7,674 steps per weekday; at Tempe, 11,294 steps (p = .003). Female students at Polytechnic walked an average of 1.3 km/d; at Tempe, 4.3 km/d (p < .001). At Polytechnic, men walked an average of 1.4 km/d; at Tempe, 3.1 km/d (p = .03). Tempe students rated campus walk-ability as very good, whereas Polytechnic students rated it fair (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Students at both campuses met activity recommendations; noted differences may be attributed to the built environment's contribution to walkability.