Parental physical activity as a moderator of the parental social influence – child physical activity relationship: A social control approach

Abstract

This study utilized a social control framework to assess whether parents' physical activity level moderated the relationship between parents' use of social influences and their children's physical activity level. Parents reported their personal and child's physical activity levels as well as the frequency with which they used various social control tactics in relation to their child's physical activity. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine if parental physical activity level interacted with use of parental tactics in predicting child physical activity levels. A significant interactive effect was found for parents' telling their child to be physically active and parental physical activity levels (t = −2.19, p<.03). Interpretation of the interaction revealed a significant negative relationship between parental telling and child physical activity for active parents, but not for less active parents. These findings were explained within a social control framework, and the suggestion was made that social control warrants future attention in helping to understand how social relationships influence health‐promoting behaviors such as physical activity within the parent–child dyad.