O.2V.06 - Focusing on parental influences on behavioral nutrition and physical activity
Friday, May 20, 2022 |
15:10 - 16:40 |
Virtual Session #2 |
Speaker
Perception discrepancies of presence, influence, and barriers to physical activity parenting practices between Chinese parents and early adolescents
Abstract
Purpose: We aimed to compare perceptions on the presence, effect and barriers to physical activity parenting practices (PAPP) between Chinese parents and adolescents and between adolescent boys and girls.
Methods: A convenient sample of 29 boy-parent dyads and 26 girl-parent dyads participated in 16 matched focus group interviews and 70 boy-parent dyads and 53 girl-parent dyads completed 246 matched open-ended questionnaires. Oral and written responses were transcribed verbatim in simplified Chinese and were analyzed inductively with open coding techniques by two researchers using NVivo 12. Coding discrepancies were checked and resolved prior to quantifying qualitative data. The number of participants by each PAPP code were counted using the crosstab query function. Comparisons of code frequencies between parent-adolescent and between boy-girl were performed using Chi-square tests or Fisher Exact tests.
Results: Among the 18 PAPP employed by parents, tangible support was more likely (52.7% vs. 10.9%, p < 0.001), whereas negative communication (34.5% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.001) and negative modeling (23.6% vs. 7.3%, p = 0.001) were less likely reported by parents than adolescents. Regarding the influence of PAPP, more adolescents than parents made negative comments on pressuring (10.7% vs. 3.4%, p = 0.007) and restriction (36.2% vs. 16.9%, p < 0.001) and positive comments on scheduling (13.6% vs. 2.8%, p = 0.001) and co-participation (51.4% vs. 28.8%, p < 0.001). Compared to boys, more girls favored co-participation (64.1% vs. 41.4%, p = 0.003) and complained about negative communication (19.2% vs. 5.1%, p = 0.003). In addition, parents were more likely to report environmental barriers to PAPP (15.3% vs. 4.0%, p = 0.001), such as lacking affordable facilities and unsafe neighborhood, while adolescents were more likely to report child barriers to PAPP, such as lacking PA interests (42.4% vs. 27.1%, p = 0.003) and being screen obsessive (24.9% vs. 14.7%, p = 0.016).
Conclusions: Perception discrepancies toward the presence, influence and barriers to PAPP needs to be addressed in PA promotion programs for Chinese early adolescents. Current findings generated from quantifying qualitative data also need to be validated in future studies.
Food preferences of adolescents and their association with parents’ food preferences: data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS)
Abstract
Purpose: Food preference is an important factor that affects one’s eating behavior and dietary intake. Parents’ food preferences and food choices may influence their children and adolescents’ food preferences. This study aims to describe adolescents’ food preferences and to explore their association with their parents’ food preferences.
Methods: The data was drawn from four waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) conducted between 2006 and 2015. CHNS is a national nutrition survey started since 1989. Food preferences were assessed by five questions in the CHNS questionnaires. Participants were asked to indicate their degree of preferences to five food categories (fast food, salty snack food, fruits, vegetables, and soft/sugary drinks), using a 5-point Likert scale (from “dislike very much” to “like very much”). The higher the score is, the higher degree of preferences is. The time trends of adolescents’ food preferences were described. Gender differences in food preferences were explored. Logistic regression was performed to determine the association of food preferences between adolescents and their parents.
Results: The food preferences of adolescents remained stable over the nine years, while their preferences for vegetables decreased in recent years. Adolescents’ preferences for unhealthy foods (including fast food, salty snack food and soft/sugary drinks) were significantly higher than adults (P<0.05). Girls’ preferences for healthy foods (including fruits and vegetables) were significantly higher than boys (P<0.05). Regardless of boys or girls, adolescents’ food preferences for each food category were positively associated with their mothers’ food preferences (OR ranged 1.74 -5.66); and their preferences for fruits, vegetables and soft/sugary drinks were associated with their fathers’ food preferences (OR ranged 2.11-4.58). However, no significant association was observed between paternal and adolescents’ (both boys and girls) total unhealthy food preference scores, or adolescent girls’ fast food and salty snack food preferences.
Conclusions: Adolescents have a high degree of unhealthy food preferences. Mothers appear to play a more important role in affecting adolescents’ unhealthy food preferences than fathers. Interventions on healthy dietary intake should target adolescents and their mothers.
Parents’ perceptions of young children’s physical activity, wellbeing and development in and around blue spaces across four coastal communities in Western Australia
Abstract
Purpose: Natural outdoor environments such as oceans, rivers, lakes, and swamps (commonly referred to blue spaces) have been associated with positive health benefits such as increased physical activity, reduced stress, improved sleep and enhanced mental health and wellbeing. This study examined how families with young children (aged 2-10 years) access and use different types of blue spaces and what the different health and development benefits (and potential negative effects) were across four coastal communities in Western Australia.
Methods: Parents (n=27) of young children across four coastal communities in Western Australia were recruited to participate in interviews via purposive sampling. The communities varied in geographic location, socioeconomic status and had a range of blue spaces within them. A generic qualitative design was utilised and the study was grounded in the pragmatism paradigm. Interviews were transcribed (n=23) or written accounts were taken (n=4) and anonymised. Data was imported into Nvivo software for thematic analysis.
Results/findings: The interviews lasted between 11 and 42 minutes and the participant’s age ranged between 45 and 27 years. Themes related to perceived increased child physical activity levels were 1) animals in and around aquatic environments, 2) environmentally friendly behaviours, 3) quality family time and play, 4) water safety and resilience and 5) displacement of both child and adult screentime. Barriers and facilitators around the use and importance of the quality of the space was identified as key mitigating factors to families’ time in and around blue spaces.
Conclusions: The beaches, swamps, rivers and lakes were key settings in which parents reported increased levels of child and adult physical activity. The themes showed a broad range of how children and families used and benefited from particularly the beach as a setting for physical activity, as well as improved sleep, child behaviour, mental health, emotional regulation and confidence. Interventions could focus on improving accessibility and built environment features around blue spaces to make them more family friendly. To date, this appears to be one of the first studies to investigate how young Australian children and their families use and interact with blue spaces and the related physical activity benefits.
Parental education level and running performance in children. The Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP)
Abstract
Purpose: Parental socioeconomic status (SES) has been found to influence offspring's health. Better economy, better education and more knowledge about factors that enhance health are among the reasons to explain this health gap. This study aimed to relate parental SES, defined as education level, to the performance of their offspring in a shuttle run test.
Methods: HOPP is a longitudinal project, following pupils from 1st to 6th grade. When they finish 6th grade, they leave the project. Participants were recruited from nine elementary schools in South-East Norway. The pupils were tested for running performance once a year with a 10 min intervall shutle run test, the Andersen Test. The distance covered during the test was the performace criterium. Parental education level was recorded at baseline.
Results/findings: The running performance is presented at two time points, the first with children from age 6 to 12, the last when children were 9 to 12 years old. The children from parents with university-level education were always best on the running test. At age 9 to 12, children who’s parents had intermediate level (high school) education performed significantly better than those who’s parents had primary/secondary school level.
Conclusions: The impact of parental education level was visible on running performance in children. In Norway with its egalitarian society with minor economic differences between groups in society, the education level may be used as a proxy for SES. Financial problems may thus be of less importance, and social norms may be more critical. People with higher education have been shown to be more physically active and smoke less than people with lesser education. Therefore, children of parents with a higher education level are socialised into an environment where physical activity is positively regarded and practised more. The fact that the lowest education group was significantly lower than the intermediate group as age increased highlights the importance of social norms.
Effects of universal school-based parental support for children’s healthy diet and physical activity – the Healthy School Start Plus cluster randomised controlled trial
Abstract
Background: Promotion of healthy behaviours at an early age is key to prevent children’s unhealthy weight development, and parents are important targets in such health promoting interventions. The Healthy School Start is a school-based intervention that aims to promote healthy dietary habits and physical activity in the home environment and to prevent obesity in children starting school, through parental support. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the third iteration of the intervention: A Healthy School Start Plus, on children’s dietary, physical activity, and sedentary behaviours, and body composition.
Methods: The Healthy School Start Plus was assessed in a cluster-randomised controlled trial in 17 schools (intervention=8, control=9) in disadvantaged areas in regions in and around Stockholm, Sweden, involving 353 families. Intake of indicator foods (healthy and unhealthy foods, and sweetened beverages) was measured using a novel photography-based method, physical activity and sedentary time were measured by accelerometry, and body weight and height were measured. BMI standard deviation score was calculated, and weight status based on international cut-off values. Data were acquired at baseline and post-intervention (8 months), and linear regression analyses was used to explore differences between groups on outcomes post-intervention, through three models. Fidelity to intervention was monitored throughout the intervention period.
Results: Favourable intervention effects were found regarding consumption of sweetened beverages (p = 0.02), healthy foods (p = 0.04) and moderate to vigorous physical activity during weekdays overall (p = 0.03) and during non-school time on weekdays (p = 0.03). An unfavourable subgroup effect was found regarding sedentary time for children in families with low education (p=0.05).
Conclusions: The third iteration of the Healthy School Start intervention had beneficial effects on children’s MVPA and dietary behaviours, particularly on sweetened beverages. As it ran in disadvantaged areas, this suggested that it can contribute to reducing social inequalities in health. The results align with the previous two iterations of the Healthy School Start intervention and indicate that the intervention is a useful tool for health promotion and potentially for the prevention of unhealthy weight in young children.
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