Family Social Support and Weight-Related Behaviors of School-Age Children (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Families are a key provider of support that may encourage positive weight-related behaviors. Yet, little is known about the relation of family support to children’s performance of weight-related behaviors. OBJECTIVE The objective of this exploratory secondary analysis was to investigate the associations between family social support for key weight-related behaviors (i.e., eating, physical activity, sleep) and children’s performance of those behaviors. METHODS Online survey responses of mothers (N=524) of young children were used to categorize their families as giving low, moderate, or high family support for each of these behaviors: fruit/vegetable intake, breakfast intake, limiting sugar-sweetened beverage intake, physical activity, limiting sedentary screentime, and sleep. Analysis of Variance and Tukey post-hoc tests were used to compare children’s weight-related behaviors by level of family support provided for each weight-related behavior. Binomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio for meeting the recommendation for each weight-related behavior (model outcome) between those with a low and high level of family support (primary predictor) for the behavior. RESULTS ANOVA revealed that children in families with high support for breakfast ate this meal significantly more often. Additionally, children in families with low support of sugar-sweetened beverage had significantly greater intake. Surprisingly, families with moderate support for physical activity and sleep tended to have children with lower physical activity level, sleep duration, and sleep quality, and fewer days/week with set bedtimes than those with low and high support. Binomial logistic regression revealed that high family support for eating breakfast, limiting sugar-sweetened beverages, and getting sufficient sleep had a greater odds of meeting recommendations for these behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that greater family support for healthy weight-related behaviors tends to be associated with children’s performance of these behaviors. Future interventions should further examine the impact of different types of family support on weight-related behaviors to better understand this complex interplay.