Social ecological factors associated with physical activity and screen time amongst mothers from disadvantaged neighbourhoods over three years

Abstract

Background: Mothers from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods are at elevated risk of physical inactivity and high levels of screen time. Yet, little is known regarding the social ecological factors that are longitudinally associated with physical activity and screen time in this target group, and whether the age of their children impacts these relationships. This study aimed to longitudinally examine the social ecological factors associated with physical activity and screen time amongst mothers living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and whether these differed according to their child's age. Methods: Data were from 895 mothers living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods (mean age 36.7 years) at baseline and three-year follow-up. Mothers self-reported weekly discretionary physical activity (leisure-time, LTPA; transport-related, TRPA) and screen time durations. Linear regression models assessed associations between five intrapersonal, three social and five physical environmental factors and LTPA, TRPA and screen time, adjusting for confounding factors, clustering by neighbourhood and baseline variables. Interaction analysis was conducted for age of children (younger and older children (n = 442) and mothers with older children (aged 5-12 years) only (n = 453). Results: In adjusted models, all intrapersonal factors (self-efficacy, enjoyment, outcome expectations, behavioural intentions and behavioural skill), social support from friends, neighbourhood cohesion and number of televisions were longitudinally associated with LTPA amongst all mothers. Interaction models showed that findings were generally consistent across groups (i.e., those with both younger and older children compared to those with older children only), with three exceptions. Physical activity enjoyment and social support from family were associated with LTPA only among mothers with older children. Neighbourhood cohesion was associated with screen time only amongst mothers with both younger and older children. No associations were detected for TRPA.

Rural-urban differences in individual and environmental correlates of physical activity in Canadian adults

“…Our observed sex X support interaction identifies reporting a lack of social support has a stronger association with physical activity behavior for females than males. Several papers have similarly identified the importance of social support for women to engage in physical activity, where support is often related to caring responsibilities, social resources, and comfort accessing exercise facilities ( Cleland et al, 2012 ; Van Dyck et al, 2014 , Scarapicchia et al, 2017 , Morris et al, 2020 , Vrazel et al, 2008 , Wilson et al, 2022 ). Reduced gendered responsibilities (e.g., childcare, household tasks) are associated with greater odds of meeting physical activity guidelines for rural women ( Eyler, 2003 ), and tailored interventions to address gender-specific barriers are effective at increasing physical activity for women ( Segar et al, 2002 ).…”

The Associated Factors of Prolonged Screen Time and Using Electronic Devices before Sleep among Elderly People in Shaanxi Province of China: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Children’s screen time was found to be the result of an interaction between child and parent factors and was highly influenced by parental attitudes in another study [ 39 ]. A study focused on mothers from disadvantaged neighborhoods found that neighborhood cohesion was associated with screen time amongst mothers with both younger and older children [ 40 ]. A study among Chinese young children reported that, in rural areas, screen time was positively associated with traffic and limited places for and methods of outdoor play, and it was negatively associated with the importance of academics and the need for company [ 41 ].…”

Prática de atividade física no tempo livre entre adultos brasileiros durante o período de 2011 a 2019

“…Outro ponto que cabe ser destacado é que mulheres que são mães, que tem desvantagens socioeconômicas e residem em bairros mais populares, apresentam risco mais elevado de inatividade física e altos níveis de tempo de tela (Morris, Arundell, Cleland, & Teychenne, 2020). Já com relação aos homens a maior prevalência de AFTL pode ser justificada pela cultura quanto aos motivos que levam os indivíduos do sexo masculino, desde a infância, a serem incentivados a participar de atividades físicas, principalmente as atividades coletivas, esportes e outras atividades mais vigorosas com maior gasto de energia (Dumith et al, 2016).…”