Assessing Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity in Families of Toddlers With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale (PPPAS)

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine a new tool (PPPAS = Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale-Preschool) developed to study parental perceptions of physical activity (PA) among parents of toddler and preschool age children. Method 143 children (mean age 31.65 months; 75% male) and their parents were recruited from a neurodevelopmental clinic. Parents completed questionnaires, and both a psychologist and a physician evaluated the children. 83% of the children received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder; 20% of the children had a BMI > 85th percentile. Analyses were conducted to evaluate the reliability, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and predictive validity of PPPAS scores. Results Results supported a two-factor structure: Perceptions of the Benefits of PA and the Barriers to PA. The internal consistency of scores was good for both PPPAS subscales, derived from the two factors. Parent perceptions of barriers to PA were significantly correlated with delays in overall adaptive functioning, daily living skills, socialization, and motor skills. When a child’s motor skills were delayed, parents were less likely to believe PA was beneficial and perceived more barriers to PA. Parent perceptions of barriers to PA predicted parent-reported weekly unstructured PA and ratings of how physically active their child was compared with other children. Conclusions We present the PPPAS-Preschool for use in pediatric exercise research and discuss potential applications in the study of parent perceptions of PA in young children.

The risk of overweight and obesity in children with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The year of publication ranged from 1999 to 2018 (median = 2014). Out of the 35 studies that were considered for primary meta‐analyses, 31 studies and 30 studies respectively were considered for the meta‐analysis that examined the prevalence of BMI ≥ 85th and 95th percentile for age and sex in children with ASD. Ten studies were included in the meta‐analyses that examined the relative risk of BMI ≥ 85th percentile among children with ASD, while 11 studies were included in the meta‐analysis that examined the pooled relative risk of BMI ≥ 95th percentile among children with ASD.…”

Psychological Determinants of Physical Activity and Development in Early Childhood Among Children With Developmental Delays: The Role of Parent Beliefs Regarding the Benefits of Physical Activity

“…The Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale (PPPAS) is a 25-item parent-report questionnaire (Lakes et al, 2017 ) available in two forms—one for infants (Lakes et al, 2019b ) and the second for young children (Lakes et al, 2017 ), which was used in this study. The PPPAS requires about 10 min to complete and assesses parental perceptions of the benefits of (18 items) and barriers to (7 items) PA, using a 4-point Likert scale with responses ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (4).…”

“…The PPPAS requires about 10 min to complete and assesses parental perceptions of the benefits of (18 items) and barriers to (7 items) PA, using a 4-point Likert scale with responses ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (4). Sample items for the Benefits subscale included: “Increasing activity increases my child's level of physical fitness,” “Physical activity in childhood will make my child healthier,” “Exercising helps my child sleep better at night,” and “Physical activity improves overall functioning for my child.” Sample items for the Barriers subscale included: “I worry that my child will not be accepted by others if he/she participates in a group sport or activity program” and “Physical activity will make my child frustrated.” Principal components analysis (PCA) for the 25 items yielded two components (Lakes et al, 2017 ): (1) beliefs in the benefits of physical activity and (2) perceptions of barriers to physical activity. The PPPAS was initially developed for and studied in children under the age of five who were experiencing developmental difficulties as a tool to assess parental perceptions that might impact their PA support behaviors.…”

“…Because children with NDs may face more barriers to PA (such as the need for extra supervision on the playground or the need to find PA programs equipped to support their behavioral, motor, and social challenges), strong parental support for PA and strong parental beliefs in the benefits of PA are likely to be especially critical. Supporting PA in the face of many personal and environmental barriers may require substantial commitment to and belief in the importance of PA. Lakes et al (2017) described how parental beliefs play an important role in the development of positive health behaviors in children and hypothesized that parental beliefs about the benefits of PA are likely to influence parent behavior, particularly the degree to which parents seek and maintain opportunities for their child with ND to engage in PA. The association between such parental support and observed levels of PA in children has been documented by Seibert et al (2016) who found that parent support and a parent's perceptions of his/her child's physical abilities predicted PA in children with disabilities.…”

Use of Physical Activity Monitoring Devices by Families in Rural Communities: Qualitative Approach

“…Considering that contemporary children spend more than 7 hours a day in front of a screen [33], an activity tracking device was selected as a primary factor for this study as it could be appealing to the youth interested in technology and could serve as a facilitator to participation in physical activity among families. Previous literature regarding families and physical activity was either focused on the parents’ perceptions of the benefits of and barriers to physical activity among their children [34] or revealed that the children were not very active with their parents [35]. However, a recent systematic review suggested that family-based interventions can be an effective way to improve physical activity participation among families [36].…”