Parenting practices that may encourage and discourage physical activity in preschool-age children of Brazilian immigrant families: A qualitative study

Abstract

Brazilians are a rapidly increasing Latino immigrant group in the United States (US), yet little research has examined factors influencing physical activity (PA) levels and behaviors of children growing up in Brazilian immigrant families. This information is needed to develop culturally sensitive interventions tailored to this population. Therefore, this qualitative study explored PA parenting practices used by Brazilian immigrant mothers living in the US. Thirty-seven Brazilian immigrant mothers with at least one child between the ages of 2 and 5 years participated in 1of 7 focus group discussions. Thematic analysis identified seven parenting practices that mothers employ that may encourage or facilitate physical activity their preschool-aged children’s PA including: 1) modeling PA; 2) engaging and being physically active with child; 3) providing logistic support; 4) encouraging, praising, and offering motivational support; 5) watching, supervising, and teaching children how to engage in PA; 6) monitoring and setting limits to child’s screen time; and 7) prompting child to be physically active. In addition, analysis identified four parenting practices that may discourage or inhibit children’s PA including: 1) modeling of sedentary behaviors; 2) having rules and restrictions due to safety- and weather-related concerns; 3) limiting child’s outdoor time due to parental time constraints; and 4) restricting child’s outdoor and play time as punishment. Furthermore, analyses demonstrated that social contextual factors (e.g., income, housing, neighborhood safety, etc.) influence mothers’ PA parenting practices and consequently, their children’s PA. This is the first qualitative study, to our knowledge, to explore PA parenting practices of Brazilian-born immigrant mothers living in the US. Future research should further explore PA parenting practices of Brazilian immigrant parents including quantifying PA parenting practices that encourage and discourage PA, as well as examining the influence of fathers’ PA parenting practices on young children’s PA.

Physical activity and creativity of children and youths

“…In the present study, active play was found to be associated with time spent with family and peers in all age groups. It supports the idea that the family and peers is an important factor for enhancing physical activity in children and youths [7][8][9][10]. A strategy for increasing active play and time spent with family and peers combined with a lessening in sedentary behavior may Table 1 Baseline of physical activity and creativity fight against the problems of an increasing physical inactivity and sedentary behavior and support health promotion in children and youths.…”

“…The result thus reflects that association in each age group in which their cognitive and physical functions are different. In addition, this study pointed to the physical activity indicators, including active play, time with family and peers, and sedentary behavior which has been frequently reported to affect physical activity and physical fitness in children and youth [5][6][7][8][9][10]. The results showed that creativity was associated with active play in adolescents; however, the association was not found in participants aged 6-14 years.…”

“…Family and peers have a strong impact on physical activity during childhood. There is evidence showing that parenting practices are associated with how children prefer to play [7,8], peer relationships enhance an engagement in team sports and other physical and leisure activities as well [9,10]. Sedentary behavior has been classified as behavior that falls under the screentime guidelines [11].…”

Parent perspectives on preschoolers’ movement and dietary behaviours: a qualitative study in Soweto, South Africa

“…There are both similarities and differences when comparing qualitative evidence of parent perspectives on preschoolers' movement and dietary behaviours from other settings to the findings from Soweto. A recent study examined such parenting practices in Brazilian immigrant families in the USA (51) . The Brazilian parents actively discouraged screen time in favour of physical activity and set boundaries in a more health-centred manner than the Sowetan parents, who mostly restricted screen time for more pragmatic reasons.…”

The Norm of Fundamental Movement Skills for Children Aged Three to Seven

“…As for parents, according to a report by the Child Welfare League Foundation, many Taiwanese children don't get sufficient exercise, mainly due to poor air quality, parents' lack of time, lack of suitable facilities, and safety concerns [26]. Similarly, Fjortoft, Pedersen, Sigmundsson, and Vereijken assert that due to the prevalence of automobiles, these days few children walk or bike to school [27] and that for both parents and children physical and outdoor activity is increasingly being replaced by less physical indoor activities such as internet browsing, playing video games, and watching television [28]. As for schools, even though preschools typically schedule 30 minutes per day of rigorous exercise, for many teachers this means any physical activity whatsoever, such as playing tag or playing with musical toys [29].…”