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Longitudinal Relationships Between Parental Support and Physical Activity Behavior among Hispanic Children with
Carah D Holesovsky1, Claire I Groves2, Zenong Yin3
1Kansas State University, Department of Kinesiology.
Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences
|July 23, 2026
Summary
Parental support for physical activity (PA) and children's PA have a two-way relationship in Hispanic children. Active children may encourage more parental support, but parental modeling of PA did not significantly impact child activity levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity
- Public health
- Behavioral science
Background:
- Childhood obesity disproportionately impacts Hispanic children.
- Physical inactivity is a key contributor to childhood obesity.
- Parental influence is significant in children's physical activity (PA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the bi-directional associations between parental PA support and child PA.
- To investigate the influence of parental PA modeling on child PA.
- To identify effective strategies for promoting PA in Hispanic children with overweight/obesity.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of data from the Health4Kids randomized controlled trial.
- Inclusion of 253 Hispanic children (mean age 8.75 years) with overweight/obesity and their parents.
- Objective measurement of child moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) using accelerometers and assessment of parental PA support and modeling via surveys at three time points over 12 months.
Main Results:
- A bi-directional relationship was found between child MVPA and parental support from baseline to 6 months.
- This bi-directional relationship did not persist between 6 and 12 months.
- No significant associations were observed between parental PA modeling and child MVPA.
Conclusions:
- Parental support and child PA influence each other, suggesting a dynamic relationship.
- Active children may prompt increased parental support for physical activity.
- Direct parental support, rather than modeling, appears more impactful for promoting child PA in this population.
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