Physical activity behaviors in parents of children with disabilities: A systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundEven though it has been widely known that parents influence physical activity (PA) behaviors of children without disabilities, there is no consensus about the effects of parents on PA behaviors of children with disabilities. AimsThe purpose of this study was to systematically review published literature examining the effects of parents on PA behaviors of children with disabilities. MethodsA systematic literature search was performed in three databases. Outcomes and resultsThe search identified 13 studies which met predetermined inclusion criteria. Of the 13 studies, 10 studies were conducted in United States and Canada. The remaining three studies were from three different countries: Italy, Australia, and Hong Kong. From the 13 studies, 24 parental factors were identified and categorized into four different dimensions: a) participating in PA intervention (four factors included), b) parental support (three factors included), c) parental PA role modeling (five factors included), and d) parental importance of child’s PA (three factors included). Six factors across three dimensions (i.e., participating in PA intervention, parental support, parental importance of their child’s PA) were significantly and positively associated with PA behaviors in children with disabilities, but no factor in parental PA role modeling was significantly associated with PA behaviors in children with disabilities. Conclusions and implicationsThe associations between parental factors and PA behaviors in children with disabilities varied depending on the dimensions of the parental factors. Further studies are warranted to confirm the association between parental factors and PA behaviors in children with disabilities, including cross-cultural comparisons.