Research on the go with women in walking groups

Posted by Stephanie Morris, Research Fellow, University of York

In this blog Steph reflects on the use of mobile ethnography in a recent study of the place of walking groups in the lives of women in deprived areas of north-east England.

Ethnography’s signature method, participant observation, or ‘hanging out’, provides rich data inaccessible by other forms of qualitative research. Mobile ethnography, as the name suggests, uses this methodology in the context of mobility. It can involve ‘go-along’ interviewing (See Carpiano 2008, Kusenbach, 2003) and participant observation as researchers travel and converse with participants.

When conducting research with women in walking groups, I found that mobile ethnography facilitated inclusivity and openness. For example, some women were interested in participating in the study, but uninterested in having a formal ‘sit down’ interview. So this approach opened up the study to those who might not usually opt to take part in research. Walking with study participants also enabled me to build rapport in a more ‘natural’ way than in a one-off interview, when the research and participant go in ‘cold’. Walking and talking, what the women did on the walks, encouraged free and open conversation: participants talked a lot to me about the intricacies of their lives, as they did with each other.

Mobile ethnography produces data which I feel is not likely to be created in static interview interactions. In ‘go along’ informal interviews, objects and embodied experiences along the route are often talked about. Conversations ranged from discussing fly tipping and historical features in the landscape, to sharing experiences of bodily sensations whilst walking in all weathers! Walking with the groups also provided a first-hand experience of the sense of safety and solidarity that comes with group walking. The following excerpt from my fieldnotes* shows an example of how this happened:

"As we walk along, Ashley who is in front of us by a few metres, points out that there is a hole in the path. She puts her stick down it and shouts to us to be careful of the hole. We do the same for the people behind us. Less than a minute later, Lisa says ‘step’, as there is a slight step in the hard soil and she is warning me about it. I do the same for the people behind me, and I get the feeling that I am being watched out for, and that I am instantly doing the same for the others."

Acts like this also quickly make the researcher feel part of the group, an insider participant-observer.

Despite its broad affordances, mobile ethnography is not without its challenges. The logistics of note taking when walking are tricky to say the least! I used the note function on a smartphone to take notes and took photographs along the route to remind me of encounters noteworthy of description. I walked with a Nordic walking group, which was even more difficult as I often had to carry the Nordic poles in one hand or clip and unclip at the group’s brief stops to quickly take notes of conversations or observations. However, as it was usual for people to walk alone for moments during walks, these times provided me with opportunities for note-taking. Conducting ‘go along’ formal interviews with a voice recorder was for the most part unproblematic; however, external noise was an issue at points near busy roads.

As with all ethnography, doing it well requires a lot of time and emotional labour. For instance, as transcribing fieldnotes is time intensive and needs to be completed as soon as possible after participating in the activity/group being studied, this task can clash with life’s other responsibilities. Likewise, as participants can become friends, research relationships and boundaries need to be carefully negotiated. And lastly, when using a method that helps to build rapport and relationships valuable for research, at the end of a project it can be difficult to say goodbye (and it was particularly hard to say goodbye to the many pleasures of group walking!).

There are many other contexts where mobile ethnography could contribute to health research, including but not limited to other physical activity and sustainable travel interventions. Why not give it a try?!

*Anonymised using pseudonyms

Being critical of how bodies are ‘sinking’ the NHS: Lessons from the University of Wollongong (Part 2 of 3)

Guest post by Stephanie Morris, PhD Candidate at Durham University

My time at The University of Wollongong has been one of the biggest learning experiences so far on my Overseas Institutional Visit to Australia. My conversations with scholars there have led me to think more critically and question the status quo regarding physical activity, health and obesity. I had many conversations with Professor Jan Wright that made me realise the way in which physical activity is often promoted may have some unintended consequences for the health and wellbeing of those whose behaviours public health initiatives constantly seek to change.

The University of Wollongong

Many academics and practitioners stress the importance of understanding the political economy of health and health inequalities yet it appears that the media and other discourses in our neoliberal society remain focused on stigmatising individual bodies and their behaviours. I came across an article in The Spectator (a conservative magazine) recently entitled, Our NHS will sink under the weight of Britain’s fatties. The title alone got my blood curdling but one paragraph written by Dr Dawn Harper stood out in particular. It went as follows:

If you are a woman with a waist greater than 32in (80cm) or a man with a waist greater than 37in (94cm) you are at risk of type 2 diabetes. If you are a woman with a waist circumference greater than 35in (88cm) or a man with a waist greater than 40in (102cm) then your risk is very high… For your sake and for the sake of our beloved NHS, take this as a warning shot across your bow and get yourself on a healthy living plan.

Now, the first thing I thought about this extract was how fear mongering and morally loaded its tone was. The emphasis is put on the individual for being a bad citizen, immorally and self-indulgently sinking the NHS. Yet, causations and prevalence of obesity and diabetes is much more complex than a waist circumference category. The key question that I wish to raise here stems from the work of two critical scholars, Gard and Wright (2005), whose work is part of the literature critiquing the ‘obesity epidemic’, the link between body size and diseases like diabetes, and health education curriculums. They ask whether the prevalence of such obesity discourses are actually more connected with the morality included in cultural attitudes concerning fatness than about the clear communication of objective and conclusive scientific knowledge. I am not suggesting that there is no reason for some focus on body weight and size, nor am I attempting to condemn all quantitative research in this area. However, I am questioning what implications such a focus on the body might have for people, and future research and policy. First, many have argued that focusing on the individual body distracts us as researchers and citizens from looking at wider structural issues and health inequalities that need to be researched and addressed. Second, others show obesity discourses and 'Healthism' (a term coined by Crawford (1980) to describe a discourse where individuals are held morally responsible for their own health. Individuals then self-monitor and manage their health by objectifying the body.) fuel body dissatisfaction, feelings of guilt and eating disorders, thus negatively impacting on the wellbeing of children and young people.

Positive vibes from a hostel in Sydney

Due to these negative consequences on people's wellbeing I ask what we as scholars, practitioners and third sector workers in the field of public health really consider ‘health’ to be? Do we consider 'health' to be “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (The WHO definition)? Or do we view ‘healthy’ as appearing as an active and slim body? There are movements away from focusing on weight and body size, including Health at Every Size (HAES) – which Peter van der Graaf also writes about in this blog post – that focuses on promoting happiness in eating and an enjoyment of movement in life. Although HAES has been critiqued by many I wonder if some of its elements can be valuable. I do not think continually worrying about one’s body or fat composition is a ‘healthy’ way to grow up or live, as I don’t think it helps achieve “physical, mental and social wellbeing”. Moreover, perhaps if we stop fixating on the body and move away from changing individual behaviours we might consider societal inequalities more and help reduce inequalities that constrain people’s daily lives. What do you think?

An overseas institutional visit to Australia: expectations and initial experiences (part 1 of 3)

Guest post by Stephanie Morris, PhD Candidate at Durham University

Yesterday I sat in Perth’s Botanical Gardens in the Kings Park looking out over the city scape. As I sat and enjoyed the shade of a Eucalyptus tree I noticed a trio of children playing with a Frisbee barefoot on the grass in the sunshine. They stepped to throw and leapt to catch the Frisbee all within view of their parents who sat further up the incline. At one point one of the girls threw the Frisbee high in the air; it landed in the branches of another Eucalyptus tree (thankfully). The tallest boy then reached up to rescue it from where it was lodged so they could continue playing their game. At that point I began thinking about how different these children’s lives seemed to be in comparison to some of the boys I worked with in the North East of England during my ethnographic PhD fieldwork on daily physical activity. I remember images of some of the boys kicking a football down a back alley between terraced houses avoiding wheelie bins, broken glass and rubbish at the sides. Sometimes a ball would get kicked into a yard so one of them would climb over the wall or gate to fetch it. There were no bare feet on grass. There were no eucalyptus trees. But there were young people engaging in unstructured physical activity. I start to wonder about differences and similarities in contexts within and between Australia and the UK, and what exciting insights I will gain from others whilst I am here on the other side of the world.

This is my second full-day in Perth at the start of my seven-week Overseas Institutional Visit (OIV) to Australia. As part of this scheme I am writing a three-part Fuse blog to share my experiences, insights learnt and reflections on my visit ‘down under’. The OIV scheme is funded by the North East Doctoral Training Centre (NEDTC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), giving me the opportunity to visit the University of Western Australia, the University of Wollongong and the University of Queensland. These institutions are home to researchers who are at the forefront of applied and critical research on young people’s physical activity; I am going to be meeting some of the key academics I am citing (often time and time again) in my PhD thesis. Pretty big deal.

So what am I going to be doing during this visit? Firstly, I will be giving presentations about my PhD research to different groups of researchers at the three Universities all with an interest in health and physical activity. From these presentations I hope to gain feedback and discuss key ideas that are forming the discussion chapters of my thesis. Secondly, I am having meetings with various researchers and experts in my field; I hope to learn more about new and innovative current research projects, get new ideas for my own future research and uncover many pearls of wisdom about publishing and how to succeed in academia post-PhD. Thirdly, I’m going to shadow my hosts at certain points, attend events and get involved in any ongoing research projects they are involved with. I want to find out what it is like to work in these institutions, their research groups, and their small and large scale research projects.

I clearly have high hopes about the several weeks to come as well as, I must admit, a few fears. This is my first time in Australia, my first time giving presentations to people who are the experts in my field, and my first experience in any University other than Durham(!). So far my host Hayley at the School of Population Health here in Perth has given me an incredibly warm welcome; my first week has an exciting line up, including attending a launch event where the Department for Sport and Recreation are announcing the future strategic directions in Western Australian Sport and Recreation Industry. Until next time, all the best from ‘Down Under’.