The Intersection of ‘Outside’ Practices and Children’s Sedentary Behavior at Home

Abstract

Abstract Health concerns about sedentary behavior have brought attention to children’s home lives, including research on the factors influencing children’s sedentary behavior at home. These studies highlight the importance of home factors, namely the media-rich home environment and parental influences. This paper draws on the concept of ‘porosity of the home’ and practice theory to study how children’s home-based sedentary behavior is affected by factors beyond the home. Based on observational and interview data with children and their families conducted in Gothenburg, Sweden, four main practices outside the home are identified as affecting home behaviors – digitalization at school, organized activities, family holidays, and socialization with peers. All of these are embedded in wider discourses affecting children’s lives, suggesting that children’s sedentary behavior at home is complex and requires rethinking the current narrow focus on home-based factors.