Parent-Child Coparticipation in Physical Activity and Its Associations With Daily Physical Activity and Key...

Limited evidence exists for the role of parent-child coparticipation in physical activity (joint light, moderate, or vigorous physical activities involving at least 1 child and a parent) in parents' and children's overall physical activity. This study examined the association of parent-child coparticipation in physical activity with parental and children's daily physical activity and explored correlates of coparticipation.

Data were from 149 participants (41 families: 67 parents [30-55 y, 57% female] and 82 children [4-16 y, 40% girls]) in the Families Reporting Every Step to Health pilot study. Families Reporting Every Step to Health was a 3-armed, parallel-group, randomized controlled pilot trial. Participants' physical activity and location were measured simultaneously with accelerometers and Global Positioning System monitors. Data from 3 data collection points (baseline and 2 follow-ups) were analyzed cross-sectionally using multivariable linear mixed models with random intercepts at the family and participant levels.

At baseline, children and parents accumulated an average of 70 and 36 minutes per day, respectively, of parent-child coparticipation in physical activity, which contributed 33% and 17% of their daily total physical activity, respectively. For both parents and children, coparticipation was positively associated with daily total physical activity (β = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.19-0.55 min/d) and daily moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (β = 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03-0.16 min/d). Coparticipation in physical activity was on average 28.80 (11.23-46.37) minutes per day lower among parents than among children.

Parent-child coparticipation in physical activity might be a promising component of family-based interventions to promote physical activity among children and parents.