Abstract
BackgroundParental support and participation in physical activity (PA) with children and parents’ acting as a role model for less sedentary behaviors (SB) are critical factors for children’s healthier lifestyle. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between mothers’ enjoyment and participants’ sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) as a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) using data from Moving Sound RCT in the Pirkanmaa area of Finland.MethodsThe participants were 108 mother–child dyads (child age 5–7 years) who completed the eight-week exercise intervention using a movement-to-music video program in their homes. Mothers’ enjoyment was examined using a modified version of the enjoyment in sport questionnaire. The proportion of SB, standing, light PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA, and Total PA were derived from accelerometers at baseline and during the final week of the intervention. Analyses were performed using linear mixed-effect models for (1) intervention and control groups, (2) groups based on mothers’ enjoyment.ResultsThe results highlighted that mothers’ enjoyment of exercise with their children was overall high. Although there was no difference between the intervention and control groups, mothers in the intervention group increased their enjoyment during the intervention (p = 0.007). With mothers’ higher enjoyment at baseline, children’s light PA increased (p < 0.001), and with mothers’ lower enjoyment, children’s SB increased (p = 0.010). Further, if mothers’ enjoyment decreased during the study, their own LPA increased (p = 0.049), and their children’s SB increased (p = 0.013). If mothers’ enjoyment remained stable, children’s light PA (p = 0.002) and Total PA (p = 0.034) increased.ConclusionsIn this RCT, no differences were found between the intervention and control groups or groups based on mothers’ enjoyment, possibly due to the low power of the study. However, mothers’ enjoyment of exercise with their children increased within the intervention group, and mothers’ enjoyment influenced children’s SB and PA. For future studies, it would be essential to focus on children’s enjoyment and factors behind the behavior change.Trial registrationThe study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, registration number NTC02270138, on October 2, 2014.
Highlights
Parental support and participation in physical activity (PA) with children and parents’ acting as a role model for less sedentary behaviors (SB) are critical factors for children’s healthier lifestyle
Tuominen et al BMC Public Health (2020) 20:1659 (Continued from previous page). In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), no differences were found between the intervention and control groups or groups based on mothers’ enjoyment, possibly due to the low power of the study
Aims and hypothesis of the study The study is based on the Moving Sound RCT (n = 228 mother–child dyads, child age 5–7 years), which assessed the effects of a movement-to-music video exercise program in the home environment on the SB and PA of mothers and their children in an eight-week intervention
Summary
Parental support and participation in physical activity (PA) with children and parents’ acting as a role model for less sedentary behaviors (SB) are critical factors for children’s healthier lifestyle. Parents’ participation in physical activity (PA) with their children and parental support for children’s PA have been reported to be one of the critical factors for young children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in earlier intervention studies [1,2,3]. Parental support is positively and strongly associated with children’s PA through informational, emotional, appraisal, and instrumental mechanisms, among others [1]. Parents as a role model for their child’s sedentary behavior (SB) has received increasing interest in several studies [4, 5]. How do parents and their children adopt and adhere to a healthier lifestyle?
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