Family Variables and Children's Physical Activity: Influence of Parental Exercise and Socio‐economic Status

Abstract

Abstract The present study investigated how specific social factors, associated with family life, related to children's volitional participation in physical activity. Of primary interest was an examination of whether differences in children's physical activity could be attributed to either parental participation in regular exercise or to social economic status. Information was collected from a sample of Year 6 primary school children (n = 924) concerning their reported involvement in physical activity the previous week, their perceptions of parental involvement in regular exercise and their social economic status as measured by their eligibility, or not, for free school meals. Employing multivariate and univariate analysis of variance techniques the results suggest differences in children's physical activity could be attributed to the father's, but not the mother's, exercise habits. The children's social economic status did not account for any differences in their physical activity levels or habits. Possible explanations and implications of these findings are given.