The transgenerational transmission of physical attractiveness perceptions: Role of parents' physical activity and nutrition habits in modelling body-focused health attitudes and body shape perception in five-year-old offspring

Abstract

Introduction: Observing parents’ body-focused behaviours during middle childhood is one of the initial ways in which children model their perceptions of pro-health attitudes and their connection to physical attractiveness. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parents' health behaviours, their appearance, and the perceptions of adult body types (skinny, medium, obese) by their five-year-old children. Moreover, the role of gender in the above relationship for both children and parents was also examined. Materials and methods: This study participants were 680 families with five-year-old children (330 girls). Participation was limited to the moth-er-father-child triad. The Beauty and Health Scale, Healthy Behaviour Inventory, Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives, and a body composition analyser were used to measure body fat percentage. Results: Assessment of pictures of male silhouettes by five-year-old girls revealed the perception that men who exercise do not lose weight but maintain a healthy, attractive appearance. However, they believed that women should actively lose weight to achieve an attractive figure. Interestingly, women were more likely to be perceived as overweight, despite engaging in physical activity. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of integrating health education and physical activity interventions into family-oriented disease prevention programmes aimed at cultivating positive health behaviours in children as well as parents.