Factors affecting parent health-promotion behavior in early childhood according to family cohesion: Focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

PurposeWe investigated and compared the factors influencing parents' promotion of healthy behavior in young children according to their family cohesion level during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. Design and methodsThis was a cross-sectional study involving 432 parents of young children (ages 1–6) in six South Korean cities (320 and 112 from the high and low family cohesion groups, respectively). We collected data using self-report questionnaires on parents' health promotion behavior, stress, risk perception due to COVID-19, positive psychological capital, and family cohesion, and analyzed it using stepwise multiple regressions with the SPSS program. ResultsThe factors influencing parents' health promotion behavior differed across the family cohesion groups. For the high group, family cohesion, positive psychological capital, gender, and stress significantly affected parents' health promotion behavior (adjusted R2 = 0.22, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, for the low group, positive psychological capital, gender, stress and parents' health status significantly affected parents' health promotion behavior (adjusted R2 = 0.19, p < 0.001). Thus, stress, positive psychological capital, and gender were common factors of parents' health promotion behavior overall, regardless of family cohesion. ConclusionOur results are meaningful in finding that parents' health-related behaviors are not only affected by their individual factors, but also by family-related factors in the COVID-19 pandemic. Practice implicationsThe study results may act as a base for improving family-centered intervention programs to promote healthy behaviors in both parents and young children based on personal and family cohesion factors.