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Mothers' perceptions of the UK physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for the early years (Start
Georgina F Bentley1, Russell Jago2, Katrina M Turner3
1Centre of Academic Primary Care, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Centre for Exercise, Nutrition & Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Insights
Mothers are unaware of UK physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) guidelines for preschoolers. They perceive their children meet targets, find guidelines irrelevant, and worry about stress from increasing PA or reducing SB.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Public Health Policy
- Behavioural Science
Background:
- Physical activity (PA) in early childhood promotes health, while sedentary behaviour (SB) is linked to adverse outcomes.
- UK guidelines for early years PA and SB were established in 2011.
- Mothers are recognized as significant influencers of young children's PA and SB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore mothers' attitudes towards UK physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for preschool children.
- To understand mothers' awareness and perceptions of existing PA and SB recommendations for early years.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative study employing one-to-one, semistructured interviews.
- Thematic analysis using a framework approach was conducted on the collected data.
- Participants included 24 mothers of preschool children (aged 2+ years) recruited from diverse socioeconomic areas in Bristol, UK.
Main Results:
- Mothers reported a lack of awareness regarding the UK's PA and SB guidelines for the early years.
- Participants believed their children met guideline targets, deeming the guidelines irrelevant to their situation.
- Mothers expressed concerns that increasing PA or reducing SB (particularly screen time) would induce stress.
Conclusions:
- Awareness of PA and SB guidelines alone is insufficient to drive behaviour change among mothers.
- Mothers require practical information on assessing their child's PA/SB levels and understanding the benefits of adherence.
- Guideline messages should be reframed into pragmatic, actionable targets for easier implementation.
Objectives:
Higher levels of physical activity (PA) during early childhood have been associated with improved health outcomes, whereas sedentary behaviour (SB) has been associated with poorer health outcomes in children. In 2011, the UK produced guidelines for PA and SB in children under 5 years. Mothers have been identified as key influences in young children's PA and SB. The aim of this study was to use in-depth interviews with mothers of preschool children to examine attitudes to the guidance.
Design:
Qualitative study using one-to-one, semistructured interviews; Data were analysed thematically using a framework approach.
Setting:
Mothers were recruited from preschools, nurseries, and mother and toddler groups located in four areas of varying socioeconomic status within Bristol, UK.
Participants:
24 mothers who were considered the main or joint carer for a preschool child who was at least 2 years of age but had not yet started formal schooling.
Results:
Mothers are not aware of the UK PA and SB guidelines for the early years. They believe that their child achieves the guideline targets for PA and SB and therefore, they do not believe these quidelines are relevant to them. Mothers feel that an increase in PA and reduction in SB (especially screen-viewing) would cause stress for mothers. Mothers found defining and quantifying PA and SB in their preschool child problematic.
Conclusions:
As mothers do not identify with the need to increase PA or reduce SB in their child, awareness of the guidelines alone is unlikely to initiate behaviour change. Information on how mothers can make a more accurate assessment of their preschool child's PA and SB levels, and information about the benefits of increased PA and reduced SB should be provided alongside the guideline targets. Clear messages need to be developed that reframe the guidelines into pragmatic and usable targets.
