Influence of the Parental Educational Level on Physical Activity in Schoolchildren

Inés M Muñoz-Galiano,Gema Torres-Luque,Miguel A Gómez-Ruano,Jonathan D Connor

doi:10.3390/su12093920

Abstract

The factors influencing physical activity participation in children are varied, although there is evidence that the educational level of parents may be one important factor. The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of parental education on the level of physical activity and the sedentary behavior of their children. The parents of 727 students, separated based on school group (preschool: n = 179; primary: n = 284; secondary: n = 230; high: n = 34), were invited to complete a series of questionnaires assessing their educational level (low, intermediate, and high) and their child’s level of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Primary school students with high- and intermediate-educated parents were found to engage in significantly more physical activity per week and spent more time engaged in homework than children with lower-educated parents. Secondary school students with higher-educated parents were found to spend significantly less time engaged in sedentary behavior than children with lower- or intermediate-educated parents, and high schoolers with higher-educated parents engaged in less tablet time than children with lower-educated parents. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that greater physical activity was precipitated by certain sedentary behaviors in children with more educated parents, such as total time watching TV (primary school), doing homework (secondary school), and total time using a tablet/similar (high school), which increased total time engaged in physical activity. These findings suggest that more educated parents may implement structured time for their children to engage in a balance of physical activity and sedentary behaviors.

Highlights

The family is considered the fundamental basis for the child’s socialization and its first educational context
The descriptive results for all the studied variables are presented in Table 1 as mean and standard deviation according to the parents’ educational level and education stage
The results of this study provided evidence that children with low educational level parents engage in low physical activity during early schooling years

Summary

Introduction

The family is considered the fundamental basis for the child’s socialization and its first educational context. The family is proclaimed as the first group of belonging where the person develops in an integral sense, because it is where children learn and develop knowledge, values, and attitudes that serve to guide their own behavior [2]. There are, different approaches to child rearing, such as the educational pattern, principles, and values in the family environment [3,4,5]. For this reason, it is important to promote an adequate family environment that provides the resources for a good personal and social development of children [6]

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion