How Does the Family Influence the Physical Condition and Health of Children in a Rural Environment?

Abstract

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess physical conditions related to health status and establish relationships with influencing factors such as family structure, educational level, and parental professional occupation in the infant stage of three to five years in a rural setting. The sample included 205 children between 3 and 5 years of age from rural areas (<10,000 inhabitants) from the region of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Fitness level was measured using the PREFIT battery; influencing factors were assessed with a family information questionnaire. The results showed significant differences in all the analyzed variables of physical condition and between genders at each of the educational levels except for body mass index. Boys performed better than girls on cardio-respiratory fitness tests, muscle strength in both hands, speed-agility, and longitudinal jump tests for boys aged three, while girls performed the test better at four years. The type of family structure was not correlated with any of the variables of physical condition; a lower level of education of the father and mother and the professional occupation of the mother were correlated with a higher body mass index. As a main conclusion, physical condition related to health seems to be affected by influencing factors such as educational level and family professional occupation, especially of the mother, but the type of family structure does not have as much influence. There are few studies in children from three to five years of age in exclusively rural areas, so the data in this study provides relevant and innovative information, while opening research to cater to this population group.

Effects of Kindergarten, Family Environment, and Physical Activity on Children's Physical Fitness

“…In addition, Kim and Park (37) found that the convenience and diversity of family sports equipment are conducive to increasing children's engagement in sports games and have positive benefits for improving children's physical fitness, which further supports the findings of this study. This study found that the safety of sports and game venues near the family significantly affected children's balance ability, explosive power, sensitivity and coordination, endurance, and speed, which is also consistent with some previous studies (38,39). It is believed that children living in communities with old and damaged game facilities near the home have a significant increase in their aimless wandering time, frequent inappropriate events, and significantly poor performance of healthy physical fitness.…”

“…The acquisition and accumulation of children's various exploratory sports experiences need a sufficient amount of activity stimulation. At the same time, an adequate amount of physical activity is conducive to stimulating children's willingness and motivation to participate in sports activities, and then has a positive effect on the level of healthy physical fitness (38). Although the research on the relationship between children's physical activity and their physical fitness has been widely concerned and valued by the academic community, the research on the relationship between them has always lacked sufficient longitudinal research support.…”

Influence of Sport Practice and Body Weight on Physical Fitness in Schoolchildren Living in the Campania Region

“…However, PF levels in children depend on several determinants, including socio-cultural and economic factors, and others related to lifestyle, which can vary widely among different states and even within the same country/region [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. In Italy, a few studies have been carried out since the 1990s in some specific regions [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], but, to the best of our knowledge, no data are available for the Campania region up to now.…”