When parents sit too much, their kids tend to follow suit. But if parents keep active, children don’t mirror the same sedentary habits, a new study has shown. It highlights the power of parents as role models for healthier lifestyles.
The health risks associated with an inactive or sedentary lifestyle are pretty well known: obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. But what if parents are inactive? Are their children likely to follow suit?
A new study led by researchers from São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil, has investigated how parents’ activity levels affect the activity levels of their kids.
“The results indicate that parents’ level of physical activity can directly influence their children’s habits,” said the study’s corresponding author, Diego Christófaro, PhD, an assistant professor at UNESP. “In other words, when parents maintain a more active routine, their children are less likely to remain seated for long periods.”
The researchers recruited 182 young people (aged six to 17) and their parents (161 mothers, 136 fathers). Participants’ sedentary behavior and physical activity were objectively measured with accelerometers worn on the hip for seven days. Parents were categorized as “physically active” if they did 150 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week, or as “insufficiently active” if they didn't.
Statistical analysis was used to look at whether sedentary behavior in parents was associated with sedentary behavior in children, adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and the child’s own activity levels. The researchers found high sedentary levels in all groups. Children, mothers, and fathers all averaged around eight to nine hours of sedentary time per day. There was a strong association between mother and child sedentary time, although no significant association when mothers were active. A modest but significant association was seen between father and child sedentary time. As with mothers, there was no association when fathers were active.
The study’s findings suggest that the sedentary habits of children mirror their parents only when the parents are inactive. When parents are active, their kids’ sedentary behavior doesn’t track as closely.
“Sedentary habits are the result of multiple factors, such as lack of access, time, and places where physical activity can be practiced,” Christofaro said. “However, our study shows that parents’ habits can affect their children’s health. Therefore, we believe that these results can support public policies and campaigns aimed at promoting a more active lifestyle in the family environment.”
Because the study was cross-sectional, it only looked at one point in time, so it can’t prove cause and effect. Additionally, families volunteered to take part, which may not represent the general population. The study was conducted in Brazil; results may differ in other cultural or social settings. And the lack of randomization in the study reduces the ability to generalize the findings widely.
Regardless of these limitations, the study suggests that kids are more likely to adopt sedentary habits if their parents are inactive. Which, in turn, suggests that active parents protect kids from sedentary behavior. So, when parents meet physical activity guidelines, this can break the “like parent, like child” cycle. Encouraging parents to be more physically active could be an effective strategy to reduce sedentary behavior in children and adolescents.
The study was funded, in part, by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and published in the journal Sports Medicine and Health Science.
Source: Agência FAPESP
