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Parent-Child association in physical activity and sedentary behaviour.
Didier Garriguet1, Rachel Colley1, Tracey Bushnik1
1Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
Health Reports
|June 22, 2017
Summary
Parents significantly influence children's physical activity and sedentary habits. Parental role modeling and support are key factors affecting a child's activity levels, highlighting the importance of active parents for active children.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Parental behavior significantly impacts children's physical activity and sedentary habits.
- Understanding these influences is crucial for developing effective public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between parental role modeling and support and children's physical activity and sedentary behavior.
- To quantify the relationship between parental and child physical activity and sedentary time.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1,328 parent-child pairs from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007-2013).
- Data collected via questionnaires and accelerometers for physical activity and sedentary behavior.
- Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation and linear regression, adjusted for covariates.
Main Results:
- Parental moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was positively associated with children's MVPA (ß = 0.28, p < 0.001).
- Each 20-minute increase in parental MVPA correlated with a 5-10 minute increase in child MVPA.
- Parental sedentary time and screen time showed associations with children's sedentary behavior, particularly for daughters.
Conclusions:
- Parental role modeling and support independently influence children's physical activity levels.
- The findings confirm a significant parental effect on children's physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns.
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