Aspectos cognitivos en el hombre agresor

Qualitative researchers strive to illuminate our understanding of the world using a wide range of approaches and associated investigative tools (Denzin & Lincoln, 2003). Qualitative methods make visible how people go about and interpret their daily lives. The researcher aims to shed light on topics using particular research practices such as case studies, visual texts, observations, historical accounts, interviews and discussions. Often, such approaches also open up perspectives on areas not initially identified, generating additional (and sometimes unexpected) understandings.

An interpretative approach is designed to generate a deeper understanding of a complex problem, and as Neuman (2006) explains, adopts the ‘systematic analysis of socially meaningful action through the direct detailed observation of people in natural settings in order to arrive at understandings and interpretations of how people create and maintain their social worlds’ (p.88). In selecting this approach to investigate the

influences that contribute to the declining rates of physical activity of young adults my intention was to help generate constructive recommendations for public health policy. To render the findings useful for policy and practice, I also sought to include the policy and the physical environment as well as the socio-demographic and individual-level factors and circumstances in the overarching study design.

Collecting data from participants through in-depth interviews and focus groups enabled me to capture the lived experience of individuals and tease out descriptive elements, such as rationales and value systems. The line of questioning enabled participants to reflect on their past experiences and connect to their current leisure and

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75 physical activity practices. As an iterative process, it was helpful in developing themes for later analysis. Combined with a detailed recording of the general neighbourhood characteristics of each study site, these methods generated a more holistic understanding of the participants’ narrative than one method alone would have provided. Because of the potential for ethical and logistic challenges, I did not attempt direct observations of participants at leisure, nor did I include the keeping of a physical activity diary. To assure participants of their privacy and comfort, the interviews and focus groups were conducted in a place of their choosing. For some participants, the reflective nature of the process of the interview and focus group seemed to have had the additional effect of enriching their understanding of their own context and LTPA practices.

3.3.1The socio-ecological framework. Much like an ecosystem in nature, a

socio-ecological framework acknowledges complexity at multiple levels. Such

frameworks map out or explain, often diagrammatically, the interconnections between many related factors influencing the problem. These frameworks typically include societal factors, environmental features, community contexts, personal relationships and individual-level factors to explain how the interrelationships operate as causal

mechanisms. They help researchers both explore and explain the health outcome, which in turn informs intervention strategies, health promotion and policymaking as

recommended by WHO for designing approaches to public health research (Forde & Raine, 2008). Most importantly, the use of a socio-ecological framework acknowledges the evidence that multiple factors (rather than any single factor) influence health

practices. Within the areas of physical activity research, there is growing recognition of the utility of ecological and socio-ecological frameworks that incorporate multiple levels of influence, and multiple factors within each level, to create what may be seen to mimic (or model) the social and environmental influences being researched (Dewar et

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76 al., 2014; Forde & Raine, 2008; Giles-Corti & Donovan, 2002; King & Sallis, 2009; Sallis et al., 2006; Vella et al., 2014). For this reason, it allows the investigation of the role and utility of consumer practices as a motivator for respondents in the study.

It was outside of the scope of this PhD study to incorporate all the known factors at multiple levels influencing physical activity. Instead, I developed a study design that acknowledged the four main areas identified from the health and related literature that focused on observations of the field: social/agent networks (Christakis & Fowler, 2007; Veenstra et al., 2005), the built and natural environment and neighbourhood

characteristics (Ball, 2006; Cutts, Darby, Boone & Brewis, 2009; Giles-Corti, 2006; Inoue et al., 2009; Johnson-Taylor & Everhart, 2006; Kaczynski & Henderson, 2007; Sallis et al., 2009), the policy environment (Swinburn et al., 1999) and personal history and circumstances (Bourdieu, 1977). These four categories are sufficiently broad to allow for deeper interrogation using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. Using approaches drawn from these areas, I was able to consider individual viewpoints (from each participant’s point of view during

interviews), collective viewpoints (during different focus groups), political viewpoints (through interviews with members of the local council) and a more physical view through ethnographic means (my own recording and categorising of the field through photographs and collection of other artefacts).

Social networks enable the spread of many different phenomena. Researchers, for example, have shown the strength of the contributions of social networks to major health issues, including obesity and cardiovascular (Christakis & Fowler, 2007) and social capital (Veenstra et al., 2005). Social networks (otherwise known as agent

networks) provide structures for showing connections between individuals, and between individuals and groups within a cohort or specific geographical context (such as

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77 neighbourhoods). An analysis of these networks helps to explain the foundations of the phenomena.

Less understood is the influence of personal history and circumstance as a potential group of correlates of LTPA. Whilst the correlations between socio-

demographics and health outcomes are evident from quantitative data collected at the population level, researchers need to know more about the mechanisms for individual choices for physical activity. Being able to analyse the interactions between

mechanisms driving personal choice, an individual’s circumstances and their personal history helps to explain aspects of health behaviour (Ball, 2006).