The Effects and Types of Parental Involvement in School-Based Sport and Health Programs Still Represent a Knowledge...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Child Development
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Childhood health behaviors significantly influence adult health and obesity prevention.
• Parental involvement is a key factor in shaping children's health-related behaviors.
• The efficacy of parental involvement in interventions, beyond obesity, is under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review school-based physical activity intervention programs that include parental involvement.
• To explore the impact of these programs and parental involvement on child health behaviors.
• To understand how these interventions contribute to preventing overweight and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines.
• Searched EBSCO Discovery Service for relevant studies.
• Included empirical research and systematic reviews on school-based programs (ages 6-18) with parental involvement.

Main Results:

• A limited number (N=17) of high-quality interventions incorporating parental involvement were identified.
• Parental involvement strategies varied widely, including leaflets, home packs, parent meetings, and joint activities.
• The diverse nature of interventions makes measuring their effectiveness challenging.

Conclusions:

• The impact of parental involvement on children's physical activity and nutrition is unclear.
• Further research is needed to clarify the role of parental involvement in preventing childhood overweight.
• Correlations with other outcomes, such as academic achievement, are scarce.