Family Support For Physical Activity Research Articles

A qualitative examination of home and neighborhood environments for obesity prevention in rural adults

BackgroundThe home and neighborhood environments may be important in obesity prevention by virtue of food availability, food preparation, cues and opportunities for physical activity, and family support. To date, little research has examined how home and neighborhood environments in rural communities may support or hinder healthy eating and physical activity. This paper reports characteristics of rural homes and neighborhoods related to physical activity environments, availability of healthy foods, and family support for physical activity and maintaining an ideal body weight.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with 60 African American and White adults over 50 years of age in two rural counties in Southwest Georgia. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded independently by two members of the research team using standard methods of qualitative analysis. Themes were then identified and data matrices were used to identify patterns by gender or race.ResultsNeighborhood features that supported physical activity were plenty of land, minimal traffic and living in a safe and friendly neighborhood. The major barrier was lack of recreational facilities. The majority of participants were not physically active with their family members due to schedule conflicts and lack of time. Family member-initiated efforts to encourage physical activity met with mixed results, with refusals, procrastination, and increased activity all reported. Participants generally reported it was easy to get healthy foods, although cost barriers and the need to drive to a larger town for a supermarket with good variety were noted as obstacles. Family conversations about weight had occurred for about half of the participants, with reactions ranging from agreement about the need to lose weight to frustration.ConclusionThis study suggests that successful environmental change strategies to promote physical activity and healthy eating in rural neighborhoods may differ from those used in urban neighborhoods. The findings also provide insight into the complexities of family support for physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight. Addressing socio-ecologic factors has the potential to increase healthy behaviors and decrease the prevalence of obesity among rural residents.

Family support for physical activity in girls from 8th to 12th grade in South Carolina

Objective To examine the relationship between perceived family support and other selected correlates of physical activity (PA) with changes in PA over time. Methods A total of 421 girls in South Carolina completed questionnaires at 8th, 9th and 12th grades (1998–2003). Family support for PA, PA self-efficacy, perceived behavioral control, attitudes, availability of equipment, and PA were measured. Results Growth curve analysis showed that family support, perceived behavioral control, and self-efficacy were independently related to age-related changes in PA as reflected by total METs. Girls who reported lower family support at the 8th grade measure had more rapid declines in PA, and a unit change in family support was related to approximately 1/3 of a standard deviation change in total METs. Conclusions Maintenance of support from family members may reduce the decline in PA independent of girls' self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control.

Associations Between Family Support, Family Intimacy, and Neighborhood Violence and Physical Activity in Urban Adolescent Girls

We examined the association between various dimensions of the family environment, including family intimacy and involvement in activities, family support for physical activity, and neighborhood violence (perceived and objective) and physical activity among urban, predominantly African American, ninth-grade girls in Baltimore, Md. Greater family intimacy (P = .05) and support (P = .01), but not neighborhood violence, was associated with physical activity. Family factors, including family intimacy and support, are potential targets in physical activity interventions for urban high-school girls.

Determinants of Exercise in Children

Background. The recognition that children are surprisingly inactive and that lifetime health beliefs and behavior patterns are formed in childhood has emphasized the need to examine the acquisition of exercise behavior in children. Although research has shown social learning theory variables to be relevant to the study of excerise determinants in an adult population, there has been little study done with child populations. The purpose of the present study was to explore the factors that may influence a child′s level of physical activity. Methods. Two hundred forty-two 5th and 6th-grade children and their mothers were interviewed. It was hypothesized that several social learning variables would exert a particularly strong influence on level of physical activity of children. Results. Regression analysis results indicated that salient predictor variables for boys included enjoyment of physical activity, friend and family support for physical activity, mother′s perceived barriers to exercise, and mother′s perceived family support for exercise. For girls, the salient predictor variables included enjoyment of physical activity, number of exercise-related items at home, mother′s perceived family support for physical activity, mother′s perceived barriers to exercise, and direct parental modeling of physical activity. Conclusions. It appears that social learning variables may be important correlates of physical activity in children.