scholarly journals “In my day…”- Parents’ Views on Children’s Physical Activity and Screen Viewing in Relation to Their Own Childhood

Author(s):  
Emma Solomon-Moore ◽  
Lydia G. Emm-Collison ◽  
Simon J. Sebire ◽  
Zoi Toumpakari ◽  
Janice L. Thompson ◽  
...  

Physical activity and screen viewing are associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors, psychological wellbeing, and academic performance among children. Across the last generation, children’s physical activity and screen viewing behaviours have changed, coinciding with changes to the home and neighbourhood environment. This study aimed to qualitatively explore parents’ views on their 8–9-year-old child’s childhood and how this compares to experiences from their own childhood, with a specific focus on physical activity and screen viewing behaviours. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 51 parents (mean age = 41.2 years, range 31.5 to 51.5 years), between July and October 2016. Inductive and deductive content analyses were used to explore parents’ perceptions of their child’s physical activity and screen viewing behaviours in comparison to their own childhood behaviours. Interview data revealed that compared to the relative freedom they recalled as children, parents restrict their children’s independent mobility and outdoor play due to concerns about safety. Despite their children having greater access to structured activities than they did as children, parents feel their children are “missing out,” and perceived their own childhood as better with regards to maximising independent and outdoor play and limiting screen viewing. Innovative strategies are needed to change the social norms surrounding children’s independent mobility and outdoor play.

Author(s):  
Lydia G. Emm-Collison ◽  
Sarah Lewis ◽  
Thomas Reid ◽  
Joe Matthews ◽  
Simon J. Sebire ◽  
...  

Physical activity levels decline, and screen-viewing behaviours increase during childhood and adolescence. The transition to secondary school appears to coincide with a sharp decline in physical activity. Parents have the potential to influence their child’s behaviours, yet little is known about their expectations for their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing during this transition. This paper explores parents’ expectations for their children’s physical activity and screen-viewing as they transition from primary to secondary school, and their proposed strategies for managing these behaviours during this time. Forty-two parents of children aged 10–11 years participated in a semi-structured telephone interviews in July 2017 or March 2018. The interview data were analysed via inductive and deductive content analysis to explore parents’ perceptions of physical activity and screen-viewing during the transition, the reasons for their perceptions, and the strategies they intended to implement to help their child balance their behaviours. Most parents expected both physical activity and screen-viewing to increase during this transition. There were several individuals, social and school-level factors influencing these expectations. Overall, parents felt that helping their child balance their activity levels, screen-viewing and homework would be challenging.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Noura Marouf ◽  
Suhana Johar ◽  
Adi Irfan Che-Ani ◽  
Norngainy Mohd Tawil

<p>Children need to play outdoors to develop socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically. Outdoor play opportunities have the potential to promote physical and mental health throughout the life of children. Outdoor play has been acknowledged as a primary right for children; therefore there is a need to create spaces, where children can go and play spontaneously every day. Regarding to where the outdoor play of children takes place is significant; school grounds, as a place for children to learn and promote their health, could be assumed as a key setting that enhances and contributes to outdoor play guidelines. It requires making awareness and evaluation of current school grounds referring to outdoor play requirements. Four school grounds were selected as case studies in Tehran to be evaluated by School Environmental Audit Tool (SEAT). The survey shows a lack of proper consideration in the design and maintenance in the current situation of these important sites for children. At the end, some recommendations were proposed in order to outdoor play provision in accordance to current school grounds of Tehran. <strong></strong></p>


Author(s):  
Lydia Emm-Collison ◽  
Sarah Lewis ◽  
Thomas Reid ◽  
Joe Matthews ◽  
Simon Sebire ◽  
...  

Children’s physical activity decreases during school holidays. Less structured days and reduced participation in organised activities may account for some of the decrease. Little is known about the factors that influence parents’ decision to enrol their child in organised activity such as holiday clubs. This paper sought to explore parents’ perceptions of their child’s physical activity during school holidays and the factors that influence holiday activity-based decision making. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 42 parents of children aged 10–11 years in July 2017 or March 2018. Data were analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive content analysis to explore parents’ perceptions of holiday-based physical activity and the factors associated with how they provide physical activity opportunities for their children. The data revealed that most parents consider their child’s physical activity levels when planning for the school holidays. However, work commitments in the holidays meant many parents had to rely on both informal and formal childcare. Grandparents were the primary source of informal childcare, despite a perception that children were not as physically active when with them. Holiday clubs were also a viable option, but the cost, location and age-appropriateness of provision inhibit parents signing older children up to these regularly.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell R. Pate ◽  
Marsha Dowda ◽  
William H. Brown ◽  
Jonathan Mitchell ◽  
Cheryl Addy

Background:It is known that children are more physically active outdoors than indoors. However, few previous studies have observed the time course for physical activity as young children transition from indoor to outdoor activities.Methods:Participants were 3- to 5-year-old children enrolled in the Children’s Activity and Movement in Preschool Study (CHAMPS). Trained observers used the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool Version (OSRAC-P) to record children’s physical activity levels over 20 minutes in outdoor settings. The 20-minute outdoor observational period began immediately following the transition from indoors to outdoors.Results:Children’s activity levels were moderately high at the time of transition and declined over the 20-minute observation period. Different patterns, however, were observed for boys and girls. Overall, boys were more active than girls. Boys’ activity levels declined in a linear fashion over the 20-minute period, while girls’ activity levels increased slightly, decreased, and then increased slightly again.Conclusions:These data indicate that physical activity levels decline with increased duration of outdoor play. The frequency and duration of outdoor play should be investigated for the purpose of optimizing physical activity levels.


BMJ Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. e014058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley Christian ◽  
Clover Maitland ◽  
Stephanie Enkel ◽  
Georgina Trapp ◽  
Stewart G Trost ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 740-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura K. Brennan ◽  
Elizabeth A. Baker ◽  
Debra Haire-Joshu ◽  
Ross C. Brownson

Although the relationship of psychosocial factors to physical activity has been explored, there is increased interest in how perceptions of the community environment influence behavior.However, few methodological studies have incorporated perceptions of the social and community environment (protective social factors) or addressed key measurement issues.Computer-assisted telephone interviews were administered to a national sample of 1, 818 U.S.adults.Unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted odds ratios were calculated to compare active and inactive participants by Protective Social Factors (PSF) scores and selected sociodemographics. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis suggested strong PSF scale psychometric properties (• =. 92). After adjustment for potential confounders, a 10-point rise in the PSF score resulted in a 12% increased likelihood of meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American College of Sports Medicine recommendations. Additional analyses indicated that greater perceived PSFs were associated with meeting these recommendations among Whites but not among African Americans.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyahno Moser

This project examines the nature of contemporary childhood with a focus on changing rates of play in Queensland’s urban neighbourhoods. The Neighbourhood Play Project is a pilot project funded by the Queensland Government Department of Sport & Recreation. The purpose of the project was to examine and record the prevalence of local children’s existing play networks in urban Queensland neighbourhoods and to quantify their influence on children's physical activity and outdoor play levels. The recorded decline of Queensland children’s activity levels and physical literacy over the last 30 years – and its direct negative correlation with children’s increasing screen usage over the same time period (Active Healthy Kids Australia (2016) – necessitated a focused study on the possible causes of these changes to Queensland childhood. At the outset of the project it was hypothesised that supporting the creation and growth of local play networks would see a corresponding growth in the healthy play habits and physical activity of the children immediately involved in the project, and subsequently of other children living in the local area. A collaborative approach was employed whereby the playwork practitioners leading the project facilitated the creation and development of local neighbourhood play networks. Additionally, they talked with parents about their understanding of and engagement with neighbourhood play at the outset and throughout the project.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 236-246
Author(s):  
Amy Eyler ◽  
Laurel Schmidt ◽  
Alan Beck ◽  
Amanda Gilbert ◽  
Maura Keeper ◽  
...  

Objective: In this study, we explore parent perception of children’s physical activity and screen time during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Methods: We interviewed 16 parents of children ages 5-12 years in the St. Louis, Missouri region using snowball sampling. We sampled from rural, urban, and suburban areas. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a priori and emergent codes. Results: The transition to virtual school and work transformed daily activities. Physical education requirements varied, generally perceived as not contributing to overall physical activity. Parents perceived the amount of physical activity as the same or increased but reported an increase in screen time. The physical environment of the home, yard, and neighborhood emerged as a theme as did the social environment for physical activity. Conclusions: COVID-19 stay-athome orders created challenges for children’s physical activity. Results can be used to inform more generalizable studies and serve as a basis for creating better parent resources to support their children’s physical activity outside of ordinary school, sport, and community activity opportunities.


Author(s):  
Andrea Nathan ◽  
Phoebe George ◽  
Michelle Ng ◽  
Elizabeth Wenden ◽  
Pulan Bai ◽  
...  

Physical activity is essential for children’s healthy development, yet COVID-19 physical distancing restrictions such as school closures and staying at home, playground closures, and the cancelling of organised community sport have dramatically altered children’s opportunities to be physically active. This study describes changes in levels of physical activity and screen time from February 2020 (i.e., before COVID-19 restrictions were introduced in Western Australia) to May 2020 (i.e., when COVID-19 restrictions were in place). Parents of children aged 5 to 9 years from Western Australia were eligible to participate and recruited through convenience sampling. An online survey instrument that included validated measures of their children’s physical activity (unstructured, organized, home-based, indoor/outdoor active play, dog play/walking), sociodemographic, and other potential confounders was administered to parents. Paired t-tests and mixed ANOVA models assessed changes in physical activity outcomes. The analytic sample comprised parents of 157 children who were 6.9 years of age (SD = 1.7) on average. Overall, weekly minutes of total physical activity (PA) did not change from before to during COVID-19. However, frequency and duration (total and home-based) of unstructured physical activity significantly increased. Outdoor play in the yard or street around the house, outdoor play in the park or playground or outdoor recreation area, and active indoor play at home all significantly increased. Frequency and total duration of organised physical activity significantly declined during COVID-19 distancing. During Western Australian COVID-19 restrictions, there was an increase in young children’s unstructured physical activity and outdoor play and a decrease in organised physical activity. It remains to be seen whether children’s increased physical activity has been sustained with the easing of physical distancing restrictions.


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