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Association between child and youth physical activity and family functioning: a systematic review of observational

Yasmine Forghani Soong1, Heather Hollman2, Ryan E Rhodes2

  • 1Behavioural Medicine Laboratory, School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, 3010, Victoria, BC, V8W3N4, Canada. yasminefs@gmail.com.

The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
|July 22, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Family functioning, including cohesion and communication, is linked to youth physical activity. Enhancing these family dynamics can support children and adolescents in meeting physical activity guidelines.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Despite numerous health benefits, 80% of children and youth do not meet physical activity guidelines.
  • Genetics, socioeconomic status, and family factors influence childhood movement behaviors.
  • Active families foster well-developed and resilient children and adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze literature on the associations between family functioning domains and child/youth physical activity.
  • Investigated general family functioning, cohesion, communication, conflict, organization, problem-solving, household chaos, and affective environment.
  • Focused on children (5-12 years) and youth (13-17 years).

Main Methods:

  • Conducted systematic literature searches across six databases.
  • Included studies with statistical analysis of direct physical activity measurements and family functioning.
  • Excluded studies using indirect measures of family functioning; calculated median effect sizes (Pearson r).

Main Results:

  • Child physical activity showed small, indeterminate associations with general family functioning (r=0.09) and cohesion (r=0.06).
  • Youth physical activity demonstrated small positive associations with general family functioning (r=0.04), cohesion (r=0.09), and communication (r=0.17).
  • Youth physical activity had a small negative association with conflict (r=-0.09); other domains were understudied.

Conclusions:

  • Small effect sizes in cohesion, communication, and conflict highlight associations between family functioning and physical activity in children and youth.
  • Findings suggest family functioning is a targetable area for interventions.
  • Provides a new avenue for researchers, programmers, and policymakers to promote child and youth physical activity.
Abstract

Keywords:
ChildrenFamily functioningPhysical activityYouth

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