Parental support and co-physical activity predicts young children’s adherence to World Health Organization guidelines
Refereed conference paper presented and published in conference proceedings
CUHK Authors
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AbstractPurpose: Developing a physically active lifestyle in young children is important as habits and routines built during early childhood could carry over to later stages of their lives. Based on the World Health Organization’s recommendations, young children should accrue at least 180 minutes of physical activity per day of any intensities, of which 60 minutes or more should be moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Children should also spend no more than 60 minutes per day on sedentary screen time. Since young children’s behaviors are largely shaped by their parents, we examined how parent-related variables, in conjunction with environmental factors, impacted children’s activity behaviors.
Methods: Participants of this cross-sectional study were 137 preschool-aged children (age = 4.4 years, SD = 2.9; 46% girls) and their parents (80% mothers). Physical activity was measured using ActiGraph accelerometers, and participants’ co-activity was extracted based on proximity data collected using the devices. Using questionnaires, parents reported children’s daily sedentary screen time, the proximity between their homes and playgrounds, and their support towards children’s physical activity. Children were considered to have met activity guidelines if their daily activity time and MVPA exceeded 180 and 60 minutes, respectively, and their average screen time was less than 60 minutes. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to examine whether the measured environmental and parental factors predicted children’s adherence to activity guidelines.
Results: In this study, 16% of children met the World Health Organization’s physical activity guidelines. Results of the logistic regression suggested that parents’ self-reported support towards children’s physical activity (e.g., logistic support, encouragement; B = 1.10, p = .009) and parent-child co-physical activity time (B = 0.04, p = .004) were significant predictors of children’s adherence to activity guidelines. By contrast, the effect of proximity to playgrounds and parents’ own MVPA on the outcome were not significant.
Conclusions: Parents’ support towards young children’s physical activity, either in form of providing logistic support, encouragement, or engaging in co-activity were found to be important predictors of children’s adherence to physical activity guidelines. Establishing a positive attitude and developing family routines in physical activity is therefore imperative in children in early childhood.
Methods: Participants of this cross-sectional study were 137 preschool-aged children (age = 4.4 years, SD = 2.9; 46% girls) and their parents (80% mothers). Physical activity was measured using ActiGraph accelerometers, and participants’ co-activity was extracted based on proximity data collected using the devices. Using questionnaires, parents reported children’s daily sedentary screen time, the proximity between their homes and playgrounds, and their support towards children’s physical activity. Children were considered to have met activity guidelines if their daily activity time and MVPA exceeded 180 and 60 minutes, respectively, and their average screen time was less than 60 minutes. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to examine whether the measured environmental and parental factors predicted children’s adherence to activity guidelines.
Results: In this study, 16% of children met the World Health Organization’s physical activity guidelines. Results of the logistic regression suggested that parents’ self-reported support towards children’s physical activity (e.g., logistic support, encouragement; B = 1.10, p = .009) and parent-child co-physical activity time (B = 0.04, p = .004) were significant predictors of children’s adherence to activity guidelines. By contrast, the effect of proximity to playgrounds and parents’ own MVPA on the outcome were not significant.
Conclusions: Parents’ support towards young children’s physical activity, either in form of providing logistic support, encouragement, or engaging in co-activity were found to be important predictors of children’s adherence to physical activity guidelines. Establishing a positive attitude and developing family routines in physical activity is therefore imperative in children in early childhood.
All Author(s) ListHa AS, Ng JYY, Jiang S
Name of ConferenceISBNPA Annual Meeting
Start Date of Conference14/06/2023
End Date of Conference17/06/2023
Place of ConferenceUppsala
Country/Region of ConferenceSweden
Year2023
Month6
LanguagesEnglish-United Kingdom
