Parent Modeling: Perceptions of Parents' Physical Activity Predict Girls' Activity throughout Adolescence

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.07.044

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 154, Issue 2, February 2009, Pages 278-283.e2

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.07.044 Get rights and content

Objectives

To determine whether parent modeling of physical activity (PA) has a differential impact on girls' PA by race, whether the association declines with time, and to assess the contribution of parent modeling to girls' activity relative to other potential predictors.

Study design

Longitudinal examination of parent modeling's impact on future log transformed metabolic equivalents (log METs) of leisure-time PA in 1213 African-American and 1166 Caucasian girls in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study, from age 9 to 10 years through 18 to 19 years, using linear regression. Race interaction terms and time trends were examined.

Results

Girls' perceptions of parent modeling significantly predicted future log METs in each study year; associations remained stable with time and were similar by race. Girls' perception of parent PA better predicted girl log METs than did parent self-report. On average, girls reporting that their parents exercised ≥3x/week were about 50% more active than girls with sedentary parents.

Conclusions

Girls' perception of parent activity predicts PA for girls throughout adolescence, despite age-associated decreases in PA. We did not find differences in this association by race. Interventions designed to increase parental activity may improve parent health, positively influence daughters' activity, and begin to address disparities in cardiovascular health.

Section snippets

Methods

The National Growth and Health Study was a multi-center prospective study observing 1213 African-American and 1166 Caucasian girls from 1987 to 1997. Girls were enrolled at 9 or 10 years of age from the Washington, DC, Cincinnati, and San Francisco metropolitan areas. In the 10 years of follow-up, data were available for 91% of African-American girls and 88% of Caucasian girls. The study design and baseline characteristics have been reported.¹³

Results

Study subjects were from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (Table I; available at www.jpeds.com). As reported previously,⁵ by year 7 approximately one-third of girls reported no leisure-time PA. Table II (available at www.jpeds.com) shows the range of METs reported in each year, by tertile of the METs index (the distribution of METs in each year has been previously reported⁵).

Girls' perception of parent activity and parent self-reported activity were correlated in each year, (βs .27 to .64, P <

Discussion

In 2000, on the basis of a thorough review of 108 studies, Sallis et al reported that parent PA had been “frequently studied with considerable lack of consistency” with respect to its ability to predict child activity.¹² Since then, 6 studies have demonstrated an association between parent modeling and PA in adolescents who were largely Caucasian,9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20 and 3 studies examining the relationship found no association for African-American girls,21, 22, 23 the group at greatest risk

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Citation Excerpt :
In typically developing children, a positive association has been established between both parent reported and children’s perceptions of parental PA support and child PA levels through the provision of direct (e.g., taking children to places where they can be active) and indirect strategies (e.g., modelling, verbal encouragement).10,12,13 With respect to the psychological mechanisms described earlier, researchers have demonstrated that children’s perceptions of parental support were more strongly associated with children’s PA levels compared to parent-report alone, and there is evidence that this relationship holds through childhood into adolescence.12,13 However, the insight provided through many of the previous studies in this area has been limited due to the use of broad self-report PA measures (as opposed to objectively-measured PA).10,14,15
In a sample of children with, or at risk of, movement difficulties, (1) To test the direct effects of children’s perceptions of parents’ logistic support for physical activity on children’s physical activity-related self-perceptions and on children’s physical activity levels, and (2) To explore the indirect relationship between children’s perceptions of parents’ logistic support for physical activity and children’s physical activity levels through children’s physical activity-related self-perceptions.
Cross-sectional observation study.
Data were collected from 120 children aged 6 to 12 years; movement proficiency levels were determined using the movement assessment battery for children-2 test. Children’s perspectives of parental support for physical activity were captured using the Activity Support Scale for Multiple Groups child report. Children’s self-perceptions towards physical activity were reported with the Children’s Self- perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilections for physical activity, and time spent in physical activity were measured using accelerometers.
There was no significant direct effect between perceived levels of parents’ logistic support for physical activity and children’s physical activity. A significant indirect relationship between these variables was discovered, with higher perceived levels of parent logistical support for physical activity predicting stronger perceptions of adequacy (i.e., confidence) toward physical activity participation among children, which in turn was associated with increased physical activity minutes.
The results demonstrate that irrespective of a child’s movement ability, children’s perceptions of parents’ logistic support for physical activity indirectly and positively predicts children’s physical activity levels, via children’s confidence for physical activity.
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This study examined long-term follow-up effects of participation in the HomeStyles RCT, using Social Cognitive Theory constructs, on physical activity cognitions, home environment, and lifestyle behavioral practices of families with preschool children (ages 2 to 5 years). Parents were systematically randomized to experimental or attention control group at baseline. Those completing all surveys that comprised of valid, reliable measures were the analytic sample (n = 61 experimental, n = 63 control; mean age 32.8 ± 5.9SD years). Repeated measures ANCOVA, controlling for prognostic variables (e.g., parent sex) revealed that variables assessing modeling of physical activity for children increased significantly (P ≤ .01) in both groups with no significant time by group effects. Paired t-tests indicated the experimental group's self-efficacy for keeping children's weight healthy and performing health promoting behaviors increased significantly over time whereas the control group did not but with no significant time by group effects. Self-regulation paired t-test findings indicated that total screentime the experimental group allowed children decreased significantly over time with no significant time by group effect. The value parents placed on physical activity for children increased over time in both groups with a significant time effect. The experimental group over time had significantly greater increases in the availability of physical activity space and supports inside the home than the control group. Improvements noted have the potential to help protect children and parents from excess weight gain, yet findings indicate considerable opportunity for continued improvement as well as elucidation of factors affecting concomitant changes in both study groups.
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: Supported by K23HD054470-01A1 from the NICHD. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Original articleParent Modeling: Perceptions of Parents' Physical Activity Predict Girls' Activity throughout Adolescence

Objectives

Study design

Results

Conclusions

Section snippets

Methods

Results

Discussion

Diabetes Metab

Am J Clin Nutr

J Am Diet Assoc

Am J Prev Med

Prev Med

Prev Med

Am J Prev Med

Heart disease and stroke statistics—2007 update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee

Circulation

Effects of physical inactivity and obesity on morbidity and mortality: current evidence and research issues

Med Sci Sports Exerc

Prevalence of regular physical activity among adults—United States, 2001 and 2005

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep

Decline in physical activity in black girls and white girls during adolescence

N Engl J Med

Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2001

J Sch Health

Parental influences on adolescent physical activity: a longitudinal study

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Activity

Socialization in the context of the family: parent-child interaction

Differences in the correlates of physical activity between urban and rural Canadian youth

J Sch Health

The relationship between socio-economic status, parental support and adolescent physical activity

Acta Paediatr

Original article
Parent Modeling: Perceptions of Parents' Physical Activity Predict Girls' Activity throughout Adolescence