Parent modeling: perceptions of parents' physical activity predict girls' activity throughout adolescence

To determine whether parent modeling of physical activity (PA) has a differential impact on girls' PA by race, whether the association declines with time, and to assess the contribution of parent modeling to girls' activity relative to other potential predictors.

Longitudinal examination of parent modeling's impact on future log transformed metabolic equivalents (log METs) of leisure-time PA in 1213 African-American and 1166 Caucasian girls in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study, from age 9 to 10 years through 18 to 19 years, using linear regression. Race interaction terms and time trends were examined.

Girls' perceptions of parent modeling significantly predicted future log METs in each study year; associations remained stable with time and were similar by race. Girls' perception of parent PA better predicted girl log METs than did parent self-report. On average, girls reporting that their parents exercised > or =3x/week were about 50% more active than girls with sedentary parents.

Girls' perception of parent activity predicts PA for girls throughout adolescence, despite age-associated decreases in PA. We did not find differences in this association by race. Interventions designed to increase parental activity may improve parent health, positively influence daughters' activity, and begin to address disparities in cardiovascular health.