Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 21, 2025
06:51
Physical Activity Measurement in Children Accepting Table Tennis Training
Published on: July 27, 2022
2.3K
Association between parent and child physical activity: a systematic review.
Therese Lockenwitz Petersen1,2,3, Liselotte Bang Møller4, Jan Christian Brønd5
1Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, Research Unit for Exercise Epidemiology, Centre of Research in Childhood Health, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230, Odense M, Denmark. tlpetersen@health.sdu.dk.
Summary
Parents
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Childhood physical activity (PA) habits are established during formative years.
- Parental influence on children's PA is significant, extending beyond modeling to their own activity levels.
- Previous reviews primarily focused on parental encouragement, not their actual PA.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and synthesize evidence on the association between parent and child physical activity (PA).
- To explore how this relationship varies by child age, parent-child dyad gender, and PA assessment methods.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of electronic databases and reference lists.
- Inclusion of studies measuring both child and parent PA, with quality assessed using a modified ROBINS-I tool.
- Analysis using albatross plots to visualize and interpret correlations across various subgroups.
Main Results:
- Thirty-nine papers (15-1267 dyads) were included, mostly from 2008-2018, predominantly using accelerometry.
- A weak positive relationship (average correlation ~0.13) between parent and child PA was observed across most studies.
- Objective PA measurement in parents yielded stronger correlations (0.16) than self-report (0.04).
Conclusions:
- A consistent, albeit weak, positive association exists between parent and child physical activity.
- This relationship appears consistent across different child ages, parent-child genders, and PA types.
- Objective measurement of parental PA strengthens the observed association with child PA.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Parenting Styles
509
Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
509
01:28Relationship with Parents: Attachment
164
Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
164
00:55Parental Care
12.5K
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
12.5K
01:23Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
391
Adolescence is a pivotal period of identity formation, during which individuals begin to answer questions central to their sense of self, such as "Who am I?" and "Who do I hope to become?" Both parents and peers play critical roles in guiding adolescents through this complex developmental phase.
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....
391
01:29Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
131
Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or...
131
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
2.2K
Exercise induces a range of adaptations in muscle tissue, depending on the type and duration of activity. Such physical training can be broadly categorized into two types: endurance exercises and resistance exercises.
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
2.2K