Home Physical Activity Environment Research Articles

Associations of Mother's Behaviors and Home/Neighborhood Environments with Preschool Children's Physical Activity Behaviors.

Examining associations of mother's behaviors and home/neighborhood physical activity (PA) environments with preschoolers' PA and screen time. Cross-sectional online survey. Mothers with a 2 to 5 years old preschooler were recruited from the US panel members of Survey Sampling International. Five hundred thirty-one mothers with a preschool child aged 2 to 5 years old. Child daily screen time and PA, mother-child inside- and outside-home co-PA. K-mean cluster analysis and Logit and negative binomial regressions. Mothers' healthy behaviors, such as decreased screen time, healthy eating habits, and increased PA, and perceived importance for PA were significantly (P < .05) associated with preschoolers' decreased screen time and increased PA. Available toys (P < .01) and maternal perceived neighborhood safety (P < .05) were negatively correlated with preschoolers' screen time, while available room space (P < .01) was positively correlated with preschoolers' PA. Variables positively correlated with mother-child co-PA included mothers' PA (P < .001) and healthy eating habits (P < .05), and home room space (P < .05) for inside-home, and yard space and quality (P < .05) for outside-home. Mother's role modeling and home PA environment were positively associated with preschoolers' PA behavior.

Social-ecological correlates of fundamental movement skills in young children

PurposeTo identify the social-ecological correlates associated with fundamental movement skills at the child, family, and environment levels in young children. MethodsPreschool children from 4 Colorado Head Start/preschool centers were recruited from 2010 to 2012. Two hundred twenty-eight children (128 girls; age = 56.08 ± 4.09 months; body mass index (BMI) z-score = 0.53 ± 1.12 (mean ± SD); 42.1% Hispanic/Latino) and 159 families were included in the final analysis. Children's perceived competence and fundamental movement skills were assessed via the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition. Data on the number of children in the family, parent age, BMI, education, employment status, family income, perception of child coordination, and home physical activity environment were collected via a questionnaire. Linear regressions adjusted for child BMI, age, sex, and school site were performed at each level. ResultsChild perceived cognitive competence was positively associated with locomotor skills (p = 0.04; adjusted R2 = 0.035) and object-control skills (p = 0.003; adjusted R2 = 0.083) at the child level. Parent education, BMI, and perception of child coordination were positively associated with locomotor skills and explained 8.8% of variance, but only parent education was significant (p = 0.04) at the family level. In addition, physical environment was positively associated with locomotor skills (p = 0.02) and explained 5.5% of variance at the environment level. ConclusionSocial-ecological correlates associated with young children's fundamental movement skills are multidimensional and differ according to skill category at the child, family, and environment levels.

The Influence of Home and School Environments on Children’s Diet and Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Introduction The home and school environments play important roles in influencing children's health behaviours. However, their simultaneous influence on childhood obesity has not yet been examined. We explore the relationship of the home and school environments with childhood obesity, to determine whether this relationship is mediated by children's fruit and vegetable intake and physical behaviours. Methods This study uses baseline data from 9 to 11year old children, their parents and school principals (matched data n = 2466) from the Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle Project. Child-reported behaviours, parent-reported home environment and principal-reported school environment data were collected via questionnaires. Trained researchers measured children's height and weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated. Structural equation modelling was used to assess the relationship of the home and school environments with children's fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity behaviours, and children's BMI. Result The home diet environment was positively associated with child diet (β = 0.18, p < 0.001). The home physical activity environment had the largest inverse association with BMI (β = - 0.11, p < 0.001), indirectly through child physical activity (β = 0.28 ,p < 0.001). Schools' healthy eating policy implementation was significantly associated with child diet (β = 0.52, p < 0.05), but physical activity policy was not associated with child activity (β = - 0.007, p > 0.05). The school environment was not associated with child BMI. Discussion The home environment had a stronger association with healthier child behaviours, compared to the school environment. These findings suggest that future childhood obesity interventions targeting healthier home environments and supporting parents can promote healthier child eating and physical activity behaviours.

The home physical activity environment and adolescent BMI, physical activity and TV viewing: Disparities across a diverse sample.

Characteristics of the home and family have been associated with adolescents' BMI and physical and sedentary activity, but few studies have examined how these characteristics vary across ethnic/racial groups. This study explores whether recommendations for activity promotion are equally relevant to different adolescent populations. Participants included 2,374 adolescents and their parent(s), recruited through 20 public schools in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN in 2009-2010. Ethnic/racial groups included African American, Asian (primarily Hmong), East African, Hispanic, Native American, White, and mixed/other race. Linear regression analysis modeled adolescents' BMI z-scores and physical and sedentary activity based on six measures of the family/home activity environment, adjusted for covariates. Interactions of ethnicity/race and family/home environment were tested. All six family/home environment measures varied significantly across ethnicity/race. Family/home variables were significantly associated with adolescent physical activity and TV viewing in the expected directions, and these relationships were consistent across ethnic/racial groups in two-thirds of the models. However, in one-third of the cases, these associations were modified by ethnicity/race. For example, home access to a greater number of media devices was significantly associated with more TV viewing (β=.40, p=.015) only among White youth. Health promotion recommendations for adolescent physical activity are largely relevant across ethnic/racial groups. However, given differences found in the family/home environments of adolescents, cultural sensitivity is recommended in discussing these issues, and tailored recommendations may be appropriate for select groups or behaviors. Further mixed methods research is warranted to help identify key messages for specific groups.

Ethnic Differences in the Home Environment and Physical Activity Behaviors among Low-Income, Minority Preschoolers in Texas

To evaluate the ethnic differences in the home physical activity and screen time environment of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start. Cross-sectional. Sixteen Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) Head Start centers, Texas. Seven hundred and six preschoolers enrolled in HCDE Head Start centers and their parents. MEASURES. Items from the parent-reported Healthy Home Survey evaluating the home physical activity environment and the Nutrition Screening form evaluating screen time. Mixed model linear and logistic regression analysis. Of the parents, 75.06% were overweight or obese. Hispanic parents were more likely to have a yard or open space (p = .014) and usable play equipment in the yard (p = .019) for their children to play in compared to African-Americans. Conversely, more African-American parents reported having a television (TV) in their preschooler's bedroom (p = .032) and were less likely to cut down their child's TV viewing time (p = .036). African-American preschoolers were reportedly more likely to eat while watching TV (p = .009), play video games for ≥ 2 hours on weekdays (p = .018) and have computer time for ≥ 2 hours on weekends (p = .007), compared to Hispanics. The Hispanic participants of this study had a healthier home environment for physical activity and screen time as compared with their African-American counterparts. Future interventions targeting lifestyle change need to address these factors in an ethnic-specific manner.