Parental physical activity is associated with objectively measured physical activity in young children in a sex-specific manner: the GECKO Drenthe cohort

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is important in combating childhood obesity. Parents, and thus parental PA, could influence PA in young children. We examined whether the time spent at different intensities of PA and the type of parental PA are associated with the PA of children aged 4–7 years, and whether the associations between child-parent pairs were sex-specific.MethodsAll the participants were recruited from the Groningen Expert Center for Kids with Obesity (GECKO) birth cohort (babies born between 1 April 2006 and 1 April 2007 in Drenthe province, the Netherlands) and were aged 4–7 years during measurement. PA in children was measured using the ActiGraph GT3X (worn at least 3 days, ≥10 h per day). PA in parents was assessed using the validated SQUASH questionnaire.ResultsOf the N = 1146 children with valid ActiGraph data and 838 mothers and 814 fathers with valid questionnaire data, 623 child-parent pairs with complete data were analysed. More leisure time PA in mothers was associated with more time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) in children (Spearman r = 0.079, P < .05). Maternal PA was significantly related to PA in girls, but not boys. More time spent in maternal vigorous PA, in sports activity, and leisure time PA, were all related to higher MVPA in girls (Spearman r = 0.159, r = 0.133 and r = 0.127 respectively, Pall < .05). In fathers, PA levels were predominantly related to PA in sons. High MVPA in fathers was also related to high MVPA in sons (r = 0.132, P < 0.5). Spending more time in light PA was related to more sedentary time and less time in MVPA in sons.ConclusionsHigher PA in mothers, for instance in leisure activities, is related to higher PA in daughters, and more active fathers are related to more active sons. To support PA in young children, interventions could focus on the PA of the parent of the same sex as the child. Special attention may be needed for families where the parents have sedentary jobs, as children from these families seem to adopt more sedentary behaviour.

The Effects of a Comprehensive, Integrated Obesity Prevention Intervention Approach (SuperFIT) on Children’s Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and BMI Z-Score

“…The home setting exerts an important influence on the behavior of young children. Not only is parental PA behavior related to child PA [16], parental support and family characteristics are also related to PA [17]. The use of supportive parenting practices may promote PA among children [18].…”

Influence of Parental Physical Activity and Screen Time on the BMI of Adult Offspring in a Saudi Population

“…A study of preschool children, however, did not find any association between maternal PA [40], paternal PA [41], and the child's BMI. A recent sex specific study of children aged 4-7 years found that leisure time PA was associated with moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), with maternal PA being significantly related to higher MVPA in girls but not boys, and high paternal MVPA being related to high MVPA in boys [42]. Parental health behaviors including parental weight gain during the offspring's childhood are risk factors for adulthood obesity [43].…”

Factors Influencing Physical Activity in Adolescents with Complex Congenital Heart Disease

“…In particular, having their fathers as a role model ─specifically as children watched their fathers participate in sports or learned that their fathers also enjoyed sports had a direct impact on children's physical activity. Brouwer et al [26] children tended to imitate the physical activity of the parent of the same gender, and that the father's type of work, time spent with the father, and knowledge regarding health behaviors affected the son's physical activity. The finding of this study that paternal care was positively correlated with physical activity in adolescents with complex congenital heart disease is thought to be related to the fact that in this study, there were more male participants (58.7%) than female participants (41.3%), and that paternal influence was therefore regarded as significant.…”