Association of Active Play-Related Parenting Behaviors, Orientations, and Practices With Preschool Sedentary Behavior

Abstract

BackgroundParents' behaviors, practices, beliefs, and attitudes greatly influence children's active play behavior; however, little research has examined these parental influences on preschool children's sedentary behavior (SB).PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the association between parental influences on preschool SB.MethodsOne hundred eighty-six parents of preschoolers completed an online survey that examined the parents' own physical activity behaviors, parental practices, parental dimensions, and parental orientations. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between active play-related parenting behavior, orientations, and practices with preschool SB during the week and weekend.ResultsDuring the weekday (β = − 0.46, P < .001) and weekend (β = − 0.48, P < .001), parental control was inversely associated with preschool screen time among boys.DiscussionThe results of this study suggest that parental control is an independent predictor of screen time during the week and weekend for preschool boys. Future research should include sedentary-specific parenting practices and a qualitative methodology component.Translation to Health Education PracticeIf our findings are confirmed by future research, health educators should teach parents how to implement monitoring and control-related parenting practices to minimize preschool SB.