Paternal and maternal support of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in children on weekdays and weekends: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Most studies of associations between parental support behaviours for physical activity (PA) and children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) have been conducted in developed countries, and they have focused on maternal or parental support behaviours. Children’s MVPA time (i.e., weekdays vs. weekends) has not been adequately differentiated. This paper investigated the associations of paternal and maternal support behaviours for PA with the proportion of children who met the MVPA recommendations on weekdays and weekends in China. Methods Cross-sectional data of 517 father–child dyads and 1422 mother–child dyads were analysed. The children recorded PA diaries on 7 consecutive days to assess their MVPA time. The father or mother completed a questionnaire concerning their support for children’s PA. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the independent effects of paternal and maternal support behaviours for PA on whether children met the MVPA recommendations for weekdays, weekends, and the whole week. Results Significantly fewer children met the MVPA recommendations on weekends (37.8%) than on weekdays (62.8%). Higher paternal (odds ratio [OR] = 1.098, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.009–1.195) and maternal (OR = 1.076, 95% CI: 1.021–1.134) total support behaviour scores were associated with higher odds of children meeting the MVPA recommendations on weekends, after controlling for covariates. Paternal PA knowledge-sharing with the child was positively associated with children meeting the MVPA recommendations on weekends (OR = 1.319, 95% CI: 1.055–1.649); it tended to be associated with children meeting the MVPA recommendations on weekdays and throughout the week, although these associations were not statistically significant. Maternal reservation of PA time for the child was positively associated with a higher likelihood of children meeting the MVPA recommendations on weekdays (OR = 1.160, 95% CI: 1.025–1.313), weekends (OR = 1.241, 95% CI: 1.097–1.403), and throughout the week (OR = 1.214, 95% CI: 1.076–1.369). Conclusions Paternal and maternal support behaviours for PA should be enhanced on weekends to increase children’s MVPA. Fathers should share PA knowledge with children and mothers should reserve PA time for children every day.

Weekday and Weekend Differences in Eating Habits, Physical Activity and Screen Time Behavior among a Sample of Primary School Children: The “Seven Days for My Health” Project

“…This finding could be explained by the fact that on weekends parents spend more time with their children doing recreational activities, as other studies have shown [ 49 ]. PA’s and sedentary time differences between weekdays and weekends are aligned with the results reported in the recent literature [ 11 , 12 , 50 ].…”

“…Although children’s activity follows many repeated patterns and habitual behaviors, the differences between the weekend habits compared to those of the week could be associated with different factors. It has been shown, both through questionnaires and through objective measurements (accelerometer), that children have lower levels of PA on the weekend than on midweek days [ 11 , 12 ]. Moreover, the weekends are characterized by less adherence to an adequate diet; for example, the literature reports that eating out is more common on weekends than on weekdays, and this leads to increased discretionary calorie intake from energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods [ 13 , 14 ].…”

Neighborhood and Family Characteristics Associated with Adiposity and Physical Activity Engagement among Preschoolers in a Small Rural Community

“…Despite parents in our sample reporting that they are at least occasionally active “with or in front of” their child, we found no relationship between parent and child PA. As described in a review, several studies indicated parental role modeling and encouragement is associated with PA, but not all studies supported these findings [ 16 ]. While this study’s sample size may have been too small to observe a relationship, it may also be due to the varying types of support provided for PA between mothers and fathers and their preschool children [ 60 ]. The majority of respondents in our study were mothers, and mother’s co-participation in PA with their young children was low [ 61 ].…”