![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
This study (a) presented a structural model for examining how parents’ perceptions of their children’s competence, exercise benefits, exercise barriers and neighbourhood safety influenced parental support and their children’s physical activity (PA) and (b) examined the mediating effect of parental support on children’s PA. Parents of 478 children aged 6–9 years were recruited into the study. The parents were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing the aforementioned constructs and report their children’s PA outside school time over 7 days. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to examine the relationship between parents’ perceptions and the reported PA of their children. The results revealed that (a) only parental support predicted children’s PA directly and (b) parents’ perceptions of their children’s competence and exercise benefits predicted parental support and, in turn, predicted children’s PA. PA interventions for Hong Kong children should emphasize increasing parental support in addition to enhancing parents’ confidence and ability to promote their children’s PA by providing positive feedback, acting as active role models and facilitating participation in PA. Additional studies are required to examine children’s PA from the perspective of parents.
Keywords Exercise, parents’ perceptions, parent proxy report, PA, Chinese
References
Section:
|
Anderson, JC, Gerbing, DW (1988) Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin 103: 411–423. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Bentler, PM, Chou, CP (1987) Practical issues in structural equation modeling. Sociological Methods and Research 16: 78–117. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Boiché, JCS, Guillet, E, Bois, JE. (2011) Antecedents, accuracy and consequences of parents' behaviours. A cross sectional study based on Eccles’ expectancy value model. International Journal of Sport Psychology 42(4): 368–389. Google Scholar | |
|
Bois, J, Sarrazin, P, Brustad, R. (2005) Elementary school children's perceived competence and physical activity involvement: The influence of parents’ role modelling behaviours and perceptions of their child’s competence. Psychology of Sport and Exercise 6(4): 381–397. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Brustad, RJ (1992) Integrating socialization influences into the study of children’s motivation in sport. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology 14: 59–77. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Burdette, HL, Whitaker, RC (2005) A national study of neighborhood safety, outdoor play, television viewing, and obesity in preschool children. Pediatrics 116(3): 657–662. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Cheung, PY (2006) Correlates of psychosocial factors influencing children’s participation in physical activity. PhD Thesis, Hong Kong Baptist University. Hong Kong. Google Scholar | |
|
Cheung, SY (2004, 8) The relationship between parental attitudes and children’s physical activity participation. Paper session presented at International conference on exercise science, Hong Kong, China. Google Scholar | |
|
Coulton, CJ, Korbin, JE, Su, M (1996) Measuring neighbourhood contact for young children in an urban area. American Journal of Community Psychology 24(1): 5–33. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Crocker, PRE, Bailey, DA, Faulkner, RA. (1997) Measuring general levels of physical activity: Preliminary evidence for the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 29(10): 1344–1349. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Dempsey, JM, Kimiecik, JC, Horn, TS (1993) Parental influences on children’s moderate to vigorous physical activity participation: An expectancy-value approach. Pediatric Exercise Science 5: 151–167. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
ECA International (2012) Hong Kong: Asia’s third most liveable city, but among the world’s worst for air quality. Available at: http://www.eca-international.com/news/press_releases/7650/#.Uc1fE_k3CLo (accessed 10 August 2015). Google Scholar | |
|
Eccles, JS (2005) Subjective task value and the Eccles et al. model of achievement-related choices. In: Elliot, AJ, Dweck, CS (eds) Handbook of Competence and Motivation. New York, NY: Guilford Press, pp.105–121. Google Scholar | |
|
Eccles, J, Wigfield, A (1995) In the mind of the actor: The structure of adolescents’ achievement task values and expectancy-related beliefs. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 21(3): 215–225. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Eccles, JS, Adler, TF, Futterman, R. (1983) Expectations, values and academic behaviors. In Spence, JT (ed.) Achievement and Achievement Motivation. San Francisco, CA: WH Freeman, pp.75–146. Google Scholar | |
|
Fredricks, JA, Eccles, JS (2004) Parental influences on youth involvement in sports. In Weiss, M (ed.) Developmental Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Lifespan Perspective. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology, pp.145–164. Google Scholar | |
|
Fredricks, JA, Eccles, JS (2005) Family socialization, gender, and sport motivation and involvement. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 27: 3–31. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Garcia, AW, Broda, MAN, Frenn, M. (1995) Gender and developmental differences in exercise beliefs among youth and prediction of their exercise behavior. Journal of School Health 65(6): 213–219. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Harter, S (1982) The Perceived Competence Scale for children. Child Development 53: 87–97. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Horn, TS (2004) Developmental perspectives on self-perceptions in children and adolescents. In Weiss, MR (ed.) Developmental Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Lifespan Perspective. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology, pp.101–144. Google Scholar | |
|
Hu, L, Bentler, P (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling 6: 1–55. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Jöreskog, KG, Sörbom, D (1993) LISREL 8: Structural Equation Modeling with the SIMPLIS Command Language. Chicago, IL: Scientific Software International. Google Scholar | |
|
Kline, R (2005) Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Ko, GT (2008) The cost of obesity in Hong Kong. Obesity Reviews 9(s1): 74–77. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Lau, WC, Leung, WC (2003) Parental influences towards Chinese children’s physical activity participation. Educational Research Journal 18(1): 17–40. Google Scholar | |
|
Loprinzi, PD, Trost, SG (2010) Parental influences on physical activity behavior in preschool children. Preventive Medicine 50(3): 129–133. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
McMurray, RG, Bradley, CB, Harrell, JS. (1993) Parental influence on childhood fitness and activity patterns. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 64(3): 249–255. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
McNeish, D, Roberts, H (1995) Playing it Safe: Today’s Children at Play. London: Barnardo’s. Google Scholar | |
|
Mota, J, Queiros, P (1996) Children’s behaviour: Physical activity regarding parents’ perception vs. children’s activity. International Review for the Society of Sport 31(2): 173–183. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Partridge, JA, Brustad, RJ, Babkes Stellino, M (2008) Social influence in sport. In Horn, TS , Advances in Sport Psychology (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, pp.269–291. Google Scholar | |
|
Pugliese, J, Tinsley, B (2007) Parental socialization of child and adolescent physical activity: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology 21(3): 331–343. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Ransdell, LB, Detling, N, Hildebrand, K. (2005) Can physical activity interventions change perceived exercise benefits and barriers? American Journal of Health Studies 19(4): 195–204. Google Scholar | |
|
Sallis, JF, Owen, N (1999) Physical Activity and Behavioral Medicine. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Google Scholar | |
|
Sechrist, KR, Walker, SN, Pender, NJ (1987) Development and psychometric evaluation of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale. Research in Nursing and Health 10: 357–365. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Sheridan, D, Coffee, P, Lavallee, D (2014) A systematic review of social support in youth sport. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 7(1): 198–228. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Sports Commission of Hong Kong SAR Government (2012) Healthy exercise for all campaign – The Physical Fitness Test for the Community. Available at: http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/healthy/physical_fitness_test/common/physical_fitness_test/download/SummaryReport_en.pdf. Google Scholar | |
|
Suen, YN, Cerin, E, Wu, SL (2015) Parental practices encouraging and discouraging physical activity in Hong Kong Chinese preschoolers. Journal of Physical Activity & Health 12(3): 361–369. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Tabachnick, BG, Fidell, LS (1989) Using Multivariate Statistics (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Harper & Row. Google Scholar | |
|
Trost, SG, Loprinzi, PD (2011) Parental influences on physical activity behavior in children and adolescents: A brief review. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 5(2): 171–181. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Trost, SG, Sallis, JF, Pate, RR. (2003) Evaluating a model of parental influence on youth physical activity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 25: 277–282. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Wheeler, A (2012) The significance of family culture for sports participation. International Review for the Sociology of Sport 47(2): 235–252. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Wright, J, Macdonald, D (2010) Young people, physical activity and the everyday: the Life Activity Project. In Wright, J, Macdonald, D (eds) Young People, Physical Activity and the Everyday. London: Routledge, pp.1–11. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Yao, CA, Rhodes, R (2015) Parental correlates in child and adolescent physical activity: A meta-analysis. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 12: 10. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline |
