Parent-youth associations of physical activity and the influence of family and neighbourhood social factors
Objective: To examine the association between parental involvement in their child’s physical activity (PA) and child lifestyle behaviours and weight status.  Methods: Data were from the 1999 Quebec Child and Adolescent Health and Social Survey, comprising representative samples of youth aged 9, 13, and 16 years. Parental involvement in PA with their child was assessed and measured as both, one, or neither parent engaging in PA with their child ≥once/week, based on parent reports. A 7-day PA recall was used to categorize youth as inactive, moderately-active, or highly-active. Screen time was classified as ≤14 and >14 hours of TV and video viewing/week. Overweight status was defined according to Cole’s sex- and age-specific BMI cut-points.  Results: Participants (n=2511) with both parents engaging in PA with them ≥once/week (vs. neither parent) were more likely to be highly-active at ages 13 (OR 3.89, 95% CI: 1.85-8.18) and 16 (OR 3.45, 95% CI: 1.32-9.01), and to report ≤14 hours/week of screen time at age 13 (OR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.30-4.25). No associations were observed for weight status. We examined effect modification in post-hoc analyses; the association between parental involvement and youth PA was present in two-parent households only, while the association between parental involvement and screen time was only present in neighbourhoods perceived to be safe by parents.   Conclusion: Health promotion strategies targeting parental involvement in youth PA may reduce the future burden of chronic disease, given the favorable association of parental involvement with several youth lifestyle behaviours.
structure familiale physical activity screen time overweight neighbourhood safety family structure