Influence of the Parental Educational Level on Physical Activity in Schoolchildren

Inés M. Muñoz-Galiano, Jonathan D. Connor, Miguel A. Gómez-Ruano and Gema Torres-Luque
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Inés M. Muñoz-Galiano: Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Humanities and Education Science, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Jonathan D. Connor: Department of Sport and Exercise Science, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
Miguel A. Gómez-Ruano: Department of Sport and Exercise Science, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia
Gema Torres-Luque: Department of Plastic, Music and Corporal Expression, Faculty of Humanities and Education Science, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: The factors influencing physical activity participation in children are varied, although there is evidence that the educational level of parents may be one important factor. The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of parental education on the level of physical activity and the sedentary behavior of their children. The parents of 727 students, separated based on school group (preschool: n = 179; primary: n = 284; secondary: n = 230; high: n = 34), were invited to complete a series of questionnaires assessing their educational level (low, intermediate, and high) and their child’s level of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Primary school students with high- and intermediate-educated parents were found to engage in significantly more physical activity per week and spent more time engaged in homework than children with lower-educated parents. Secondary school students with higher-educated parents were found to spend significantly less time engaged in sedentary behavior than children with lower- or intermediate-educated parents, and high schoolers with higher-educated parents engaged in less tablet time than children with lower-educated parents. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that greater physical activity was precipitated by certain sedentary behaviors in children with more educated parents, such as total time watching TV (primary school), doing homework (secondary school), and total time using a tablet/similar (high school), which increased total time engaged in physical activity. These findings suggest that more educated parents may implement structured time for their children to engage in a balance of physical activity and sedentary behaviors.

Keywords: children; physical activity; sedentary behavior; family (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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