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Physical activity of parents and of their children: a systematic review of Brazilian sample studies – Report Card Brazil

Atividade física de pais e filhos: uma revisão sistemática de estudos com amostras brasileiras – Report Card Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was systematically review the researches in regard the association of PA of parents and the PA of their children. A literature search was performed in five databases (Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Lilacs and SciELO) using combined terms about youth, PA and social support, with restriction to publications with Brazilian sample and to English and Portuguese language. Thirteen studies were included in this review and was observed a positive association of parental PA and the PA of their children for the majority of the studies (n=11). Only two studies did not observed significant association between PA of parents and their children and, otherwise, it was not observed negative associations in the review. It was observed different associations according to the gender of both parents and children. This findings support the importance for the practice of PA by parents as encouragement for the practice of PA by their children among Brazilians. The strategies to promote the increase in practice of physical activity of children and adolescents of both genders may consider the social support as an important factor, especially in relation to the practice of PA of their parents.

Key words
Adolescent; Child; Parents; Physical activity; Social support

Resumo

O objetivo do presente estudo foi revisar sistematicamente estudos que analisaram a associação da prática de atividade física de pais e filhos. Foi realizada uma busca sistemática em cinco bases de dados (Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Lilacs e SciELO), por meio da combinação de termos sobre crianças e adolescentes, atividade física e suporte social, sendo restrita a estudos contendo amostras brasileiras e escritos em Inglês e/ou Português. Foram incluídos treze estudos na presente revisão e foi observada associação positiva da prática de atividade física de pais e filhos na maioria dos estudos (n=11). Somente dois estudos não observaram associação significativa da atividade física de pais e filhos, contudo não foram observadas associações negativas. Foram observadas diferentes associações de acordo com o gênero tanto dos pais quanto dos filhos. Estes achados ressaltam a importância da prática de atividade física dos pais como incentivo à prática de atividade física dos filhos em amostras brasileiras. Estratégias de promoção da prática de atividade física em crianças e adolescentes de ambos os sexos devem considerar o suporte social como um fator importante, especialmente a respeito da prática de atividade física dos pais.

Palavras-chave
Adolescente; Apoio social; Atividade física; Criança; Pais

INTRODUCTION

A worldwide prevalence of 81% of school-aged population did not reach recommended levels of physical activity in the last decade11 World Health Organization/WHO. Prevalence of insufficient physical activity: School going adolescents aged 11-17 years. 2010; Available from: <http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/physical_activity_text/en/> [2018 Mar 04].
http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/...
. Surveys have shown a decrease in prevalence of physical activity practice over the years and according to the increase of age22 Marques A, Gaspar de Matos M. Adolescents’ physical activity trends over the years: a three-cohort study based on the Health Behavior in School-aged Children(HBSC) Portuguese survey. BMJ Open 2014;4(10):e006012.,33 World Health Organization/WHO. Fact Sheet: Physical activity in adolescents. 2016 US report card on physical activity for children and youth. 2016; Available from < http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/303480/HBSCNo.7_factsheet_Physical.pdf?ua=1> [2018 Mar 04].
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. Moreover, obesity affects 3 times more people aged 6-19 years during the last three decades and faced with this alarming condition, the practice of physical activity among children and adolescents is widely considered to be an important factor in the prevention of these problems in adult life, besides promoting better health conditions in short-middle term since early ages44 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Recommendations and Reports. School health guidelines to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2011;16-60(RR-5):1-76..

However, youth is a period characterized by large biological and psychological developments, which can also result in social, cultural and educational implications55 Kar SK, Choudhury A, Singh AP. Understanding normal development of adolescent sexuality: a bumpy ride. J Hum Reproductive Sci 2015;8(2):70-4.. In this sense, the social support has been investigated for decades as a predictor of health outcomes in clinical and epidemiological approaches66 Sarason BR, Sarason IG, Pierce GR. Traditional views of social support and their impact on assessment. In B. R. Sarason, I. G. Sarason, & G. R. Pierce (Eds.), Social support: An interactional view. New York: John Wiley& Sons; 1990. p. 9-25. and consists of indirect support in a verbal and nonverbal way (e.g., encouragement, information, examples of life habits and health conditions), besides the direct help, such as transportation and encouragement from parents, have been consistently associated with the practice of adolescent’s physical activity77 Robbins LB, Stommel M, Hamel LM. Social support for physical activity of middle school students. Public Health Nurs 2008;25(1):451-60.. In addition, children and adolescents present limitations of autonomy for daily activities that may compromise physical activity, and it may be attenuated by family actions, such as spending time together, communicating with each other and strengthening family ties88 Ornelas IJ, Perreira KM, Ayala GX. Parental influences on adolescent physical activity: a longitudinal study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2007;4:3..

Although fathers and mothers may encourage the practice of physical activity of boys and girls in different forms, it was observed that children were more active if both parents share the responsibility of support their practice of physical activity99 Solomon-Moore E, Toumpakari Z, Sebire SJ, Thompson JL, Lawlor DA, Jago R. Roles of mothers and fathers in supporting child physical activity: a cross-sectionalmixed-methods study. BMJ Open 2018;8(1):e019732.. Social support was associated with adolescents who dedicated more days to physical activity in the week compared to those who did not receive this incentive1010 King KA, Tergerson JL, Wilson BR. Effect of social support on adolescents’ perceptions of and engagement in physical activity. J Phys Act Health 2008;5(3):374-84..

In the social support context, the parental practice of physical activity has been considered as an important determinant for physical activity of children and adolescents1111 Christofaro DGD, Andersen LB, Andrade SM, Barros MVG, Saraiva BTC, Fernandes RA, et al. Adolescents’ physical activity is associated with previous and current physical activity practice by their parents. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018;94(1):48-55.. However, in a country with continental dimensions such as Brazil, which has a wide diversity of climate, cultures and income distribution1212 Magliano ES, Guedes LG, Coutinho ESF, Bloch KV. Prevalence of arterialhypertension among Brazilian adolescents: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health 2013;13(1):833., it becomes necessary a systematic approach of findings involving physical activity of parents and their children, aiming to guide effective strategies of health promotion in country-wide spectrum.

Therefore, the objective of this study was systemically review the findings of studies investigating the relationship between parents’ and youth’s physical activity among Brazilians.

METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURES

Literature searches were performed from February to April 2018, in the following electronic databases: Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Lilacs and SciELO. We combined search terms regarding youth (e.g. children and adolescents), physical activity (e.g. exercise, motor activity, sport practice), and social support (e.g. encouragement, incentive). Our searches were restricted to publications in English and Portuguese.

Two independent reviewers performed the titles and abstracts screening of the records retrieved from the search. Then, two independent reviewers evaluated the full-texts of the potentially eligible articles following the inclusion criteria. In any case of disagreement, a third reviewer would cast the deciding vote.

We included studies investigating the association between parents’and youth’s physical activity among Brazilians, regardless of the study design. Therefore, cross-sectional, longitudinal, and clinical trials were included in this review. In addition, studies were considered eligible if they had included participants until 18 years in the sample, with their respective parents, or at least provide information about them, reported by parents or children’s part. Finally, physical activity assessed by subjective (e.g. questionnaires and physical activity diary) and objective methods (e.g. accelerometer, pedometer) were considered eligible.

Two independent authors extracted the following information using a standardized form: region; sample characteristics (i.e. number of participants, sex, age); study design (i.e. cross-sectional, longitudinal study); physical activity assessment (i.e. objective or subjective methods); and main results. The results of the included studies were described in narrative form and displayed in tables.

RESULTS

Our searches retrieved a total of 3,033 articles, which 210 were excluded as being duplicated and 2788 were excluded after assessment by titles and abstracts. Then, a total of 35 articles were selected to full-text review, of which 22 articles were excluded for not meet the review criteria for inclusion. Finally, 13 articles remained selected for been considered eligible in proposed inclusion criteria. Figure 1 shows the processes of this review.

Figure 1
Flowchart of the articles selection process.

The publication date of the selected studies ranged from 2008 to 2018. Seven of the included studies were conducted in the South region of Brazil1111 Christofaro DGD, Andersen LB, Andrade SM, Barros MVG, Saraiva BTC, Fernandes RA, et al. Adolescents’ physical activity is associated with previous and current physical activity practice by their parents. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018;94(1):48-55.,1313 Silva SM, Knuth AG, Del Duca GF, Camargo MBJ, Cruz SH, Castagno V, et al. Prevalência e fatores associados à prática de esportes individuais e coletivos em adolescentes pertencentes a uma coorte de nascimentos. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esporte2009;23(3):263-74.

14 Prado CV, Lima AV, Fermino RC, Rodriguez Añes CR, Reis RS. Social support and physical activity in adolescents from public schools: the importance of family and friends. Cad Saude Publica 2014;30(4):827-38.

15 Loch MR, Porpeta RH, Brunetto BC. Relação entre a prática de atividade física no lazer dos pais e a dos filhos. Rev Bras Cienc Esporte 2015;37(1):29-34.

16 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40.

17 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4.
-1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63., three studies in the Southeast region1919 Fernandes RA, Christofaro DGD, Milanez VF, Casonatto J, Cardoso JR, RonqueERV, et al. Physical activity: rate, related factors, and association between parents and children. Rev Paul Pediatr 2011;29(1):54-9.

20 Ramos CGC, Andrade RG, Andrade ACS, Fernandes AP, Costa DAS, Xavier CC, et al. Family context and the physical activity of adolescents: comparing differences. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2017;20(3):537-48.
-2121 Lemos N, Nakamura PM, Grisi RNF, Kokubun E. Association between the parent’s leisure physical activity level and their children`s physical activity level. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2010;15(2):95-100. and three studies in the Northeast region2222 Cheng LA, Mendonça G, Farias Júnior JC. Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of social influence of parents and friends. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2014;90(1):35-41.

23 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14.
-2424 Mendonça G, Júnior JC,. Physical activity and social support in adolescents: analysisof different types and sources of social support. J Sports Sci 2015;33(18):1942-51..

Regarding the methodology of the studies, only two studies showed a longitudinal design133 World Health Organization/WHO. Fact Sheet: Physical activity in adolescents. 2016 US report card on physical activity for children and youth. 2016; Available from < http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/303480/HBSCNo.7_factsheet_Physical.pdf?ua=1> [2018 Mar 04].
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,1717 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4. and the others were cross-sectional1111 Christofaro DGD, Andersen LB, Andrade SM, Barros MVG, Saraiva BTC, Fernandes RA, et al. Adolescents’ physical activity is associated with previous and current physical activity practice by their parents. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018;94(1):48-55.,1414 Prado CV, Lima AV, Fermino RC, Rodriguez Añes CR, Reis RS. Social support and physical activity in adolescents from public schools: the importance of family and friends. Cad Saude Publica 2014;30(4):827-38.

15 Loch MR, Porpeta RH, Brunetto BC. Relação entre a prática de atividade física no lazer dos pais e a dos filhos. Rev Bras Cienc Esporte 2015;37(1):29-34.
-1616 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40.,1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63.

19 Fernandes RA, Christofaro DGD, Milanez VF, Casonatto J, Cardoso JR, RonqueERV, et al. Physical activity: rate, related factors, and association between parents and children. Rev Paul Pediatr 2011;29(1):54-9.

20 Ramos CGC, Andrade RG, Andrade ACS, Fernandes AP, Costa DAS, Xavier CC, et al. Family context and the physical activity of adolescents: comparing differences. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2017;20(3):537-48.

21 Lemos N, Nakamura PM, Grisi RNF, Kokubun E. Association between the parent’s leisure physical activity level and their children`s physical activity level. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2010;15(2):95-100.

22 Cheng LA, Mendonça G, Farias Júnior JC. Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of social influence of parents and friends. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2014;90(1):35-41.

23 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14.
-2424 Mendonça G, Júnior JC,. Physical activity and social support in adolescents: analysisof different types and sources of social support. J Sports Sci 2015;33(18):1942-51., all studies were observational researches. Eleven studies showed a sample of adolescents at a range of age from 10 to 18 years1111 Christofaro DGD, Andersen LB, Andrade SM, Barros MVG, Saraiva BTC, Fernandes RA, et al. Adolescents’ physical activity is associated with previous and current physical activity practice by their parents. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018;94(1):48-55.,1313 Silva SM, Knuth AG, Del Duca GF, Camargo MBJ, Cruz SH, Castagno V, et al. Prevalência e fatores associados à prática de esportes individuais e coletivos em adolescentes pertencentes a uma coorte de nascimentos. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esporte2009;23(3):263-74.

14 Prado CV, Lima AV, Fermino RC, Rodriguez Añes CR, Reis RS. Social support and physical activity in adolescents from public schools: the importance of family and friends. Cad Saude Publica 2014;30(4):827-38.

15 Loch MR, Porpeta RH, Brunetto BC. Relação entre a prática de atividade física no lazer dos pais e a dos filhos. Rev Bras Cienc Esporte 2015;37(1):29-34.
-1616 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40.,1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63.,1919 Fernandes RA, Christofaro DGD, Milanez VF, Casonatto J, Cardoso JR, RonqueERV, et al. Physical activity: rate, related factors, and association between parents and children. Rev Paul Pediatr 2011;29(1):54-9.,2121 Lemos N, Nakamura PM, Grisi RNF, Kokubun E. Association between the parent’s leisure physical activity level and their children`s physical activity level. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2010;15(2):95-100.

22 Cheng LA, Mendonça G, Farias Júnior JC. Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of social influence of parents and friends. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2014;90(1):35-41.

23 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14.
-2424 Mendonça G, Júnior JC,. Physical activity and social support in adolescents: analysisof different types and sources of social support. J Sports Sci 2015;33(18):1942-51. and only two studies were composed by children with 6 years old and below1717 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4.,2020 Ramos CGC, Andrade RG, Andrade ACS, Fernandes AP, Costa DAS, Xavier CC, et al. Family context and the physical activity of adolescents: comparing differences. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2017;20(3):537-48..

Physical activity was differently measured across the selected studies. One study measured objectively using accelerometers1717 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4. and the remaining included articles measured using self-report questionnaires1111 Christofaro DGD, Andersen LB, Andrade SM, Barros MVG, Saraiva BTC, Fernandes RA, et al. Adolescents’ physical activity is associated with previous and current physical activity practice by their parents. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018;94(1):48-55.,1313 Silva SM, Knuth AG, Del Duca GF, Camargo MBJ, Cruz SH, Castagno V, et al. Prevalência e fatores associados à prática de esportes individuais e coletivos em adolescentes pertencentes a uma coorte de nascimentos. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esporte2009;23(3):263-74.

14 Prado CV, Lima AV, Fermino RC, Rodriguez Añes CR, Reis RS. Social support and physical activity in adolescents from public schools: the importance of family and friends. Cad Saude Publica 2014;30(4):827-38.

15 Loch MR, Porpeta RH, Brunetto BC. Relação entre a prática de atividade física no lazer dos pais e a dos filhos. Rev Bras Cienc Esporte 2015;37(1):29-34.
-1616 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40.,1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63.

19 Fernandes RA, Christofaro DGD, Milanez VF, Casonatto J, Cardoso JR, RonqueERV, et al. Physical activity: rate, related factors, and association between parents and children. Rev Paul Pediatr 2011;29(1):54-9.

20 Ramos CGC, Andrade RG, Andrade ACS, Fernandes AP, Costa DAS, Xavier CC, et al. Family context and the physical activity of adolescents: comparing differences. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2017;20(3):537-48.

21 Lemos N, Nakamura PM, Grisi RNF, Kokubun E. Association between the parent’s leisure physical activity level and their children`s physical activity level. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2010;15(2):95-100.

22 Cheng LA, Mendonça G, Farias Júnior JC. Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of social influence of parents and friends. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2014;90(1):35-41.

23 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14.
-2424 Mendonça G, Júnior JC,. Physical activity and social support in adolescents: analysisof different types and sources of social support. J Sports Sci 2015;33(18):1942-51.. However, it was observed different instruments across the studies and the most used questionnaire were International Physical Activity Questionnaire – IPAQ1515 Loch MR, Porpeta RH, Brunetto BC. Relação entre a prática de atividade física no lazer dos pais e a dos filhos. Rev Bras Cienc Esporte 2015;37(1):29-34.,1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63.,2323 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14. and Baecke’s questionnaire1111 Christofaro DGD, Andersen LB, Andrade SM, Barros MVG, Saraiva BTC, Fernandes RA, et al. Adolescents’ physical activity is associated with previous and current physical activity practice by their parents. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018;94(1):48-55.,1919 Fernandes RA, Christofaro DGD, Milanez VF, Casonatto J, Cardoso JR, RonqueERV, et al. Physical activity: rate, related factors, and association between parents and children. Rev Paul Pediatr 2011;29(1):54-9.. The methodological characteristics of the included studies are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1
Methodological characteristics of included studies.

The Table 2 shows the main findings of selected studies. A positive association between physical activity of parents and their children was observed by eleven studies. Christofaro et al.1111 Christofaro DGD, Andersen LB, Andrade SM, Barros MVG, Saraiva BTC, Fernandes RA, et al. Adolescents’ physical activity is associated with previous and current physical activity practice by their parents. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2018;94(1):48-55. observed that parents who practice physical activity during their childhood or adolescence increase the chance of their children practice physical activity, besides the emotional and financial incentive. Fernandes et al.1919 Fernandes RA, Christofaro DGD, Milanez VF, Casonatto J, Cardoso JR, RonqueERV, et al. Physical activity: rate, related factors, and association between parents and children. Rev Paul Pediatr 2011;29(1):54-9. showed a positive association of sports practice of parents and their children, with a determinant factor for the gender. This gender difference was also observed in a study by Ramos et al.2020 Ramos CGC, Andrade RG, Andrade ACS, Fernandes AP, Costa DAS, Xavier CC, et al. Family context and the physical activity of adolescents: comparing differences. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2017;20(3):537-48., where boys were more likely to be physically active if having an adult at home who practice physical activity. It was also observed that the sports practice among boys was associated with having physically active mothers1313 Silva SM, Knuth AG, Del Duca GF, Camargo MBJ, Cruz SH, Castagno V, et al. Prevalência e fatores associados à prática de esportes individuais e coletivos em adolescentes pertencentes a uma coorte de nascimentos. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esporte2009;23(3):263-74.. Prado et al.1414 Prado CV, Lima AV, Fermino RC, Rodriguez Añes CR, Reis RS. Social support and physical activity in adolescents from public schools: the importance of family and friends. Cad Saude Publica 2014;30(4):827-38. observed in both genders that the practice of physical activity was positively associated with the frequent company of family and friends. Cheng et al.2222 Cheng LA, Mendonça G, Farias Júnior JC. Physical activity in adolescents: analysis of social influence of parents and friends. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2014;90(1):35-41. showed that physical activity was differently associated according to gender, being the physical activity of the father associated with physical activity of their sons and the physical activity of the mother associated with physical activity of their daughters. Loch et al.1515 Loch MR, Porpeta RH, Brunetto BC. Relação entre a prática de atividade física no lazer dos pais e a dos filhos. Rev Bras Cienc Esporte 2015;37(1):29-34. observed that the association between physical activity of children and their parents remained significant in older adolescents regard the age, and among sons and fathers regard the gender.

Table 2
Main findings of included studies in regard the practice of physical activity of parents and their children.

Raphaelli et al.1616 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40. observed that of physical activity of daughters was positively associated with physical activity of their fathers. It was observed by Wanderley Júnior et al.2323 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14. a smaller prevalence of low physical activity level among children whose parents reported to practice physical activity. Lemos et al.2121 Lemos N, Nakamura PM, Grisi RNF, Kokubun E. Association between the parent’s leisure physical activity level and their children`s physical activity level. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2010;15(2):95-100. observed that the association of physical activity of parents and their children was positively significant if both fathers and mothers reported to practice physical activity. Mendonça et al.2424 Mendonça G, Júnior JC,. Physical activity and social support in adolescents: analysisof different types and sources of social support. J Sports Sci 2015;33(18):1942-51. observed association of physical activity in adolescents with different kinds of social support by their parents, with increase in chance of adolescents be physically active according to accumulation of sources from parental support, such as joint participation, encouragement, transportation, watching and comments.

Two studies did not observed significant association between physical activity of children with physical activity of their parents1717 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4.,1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63., although one of them presented a borderline significance level for positive association1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63..

DISCUSSION

The practice of physical activity of parents and the physical activity of their children was positively associated in the majority of the selected studies. However, it was not found a large amount of evidence among Brazilian sample studies in literature.

This review found studies with samples from different regions of the country, but not from all of them. In this sense, it is important to highlight that Brazil has a wide racial miscegenation and a continental dimension, with great socioeconomic disparities in an estimated population of more than 200 million inhabitants2525 Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica/IBGE. Países: Brasil, Indicadores Sociais. 2016; Available from: <https://paises.ibge.gov.br/#/pt/pais/brasil/info/indicadores-sociais> [2018 Mar 23].
https://paises.ibge.gov.br/#/pt/pais/bra...
. Nonetheless, the majority of included studies from different regions observed similar results about the practice of physical activity of parents and their children, where children and adolescents whose parents practice physical activity are more likely to also practice. These findings are convergent with observations of other studies across the world2626 Xu H, Wen LM, Rissel C. Associations of parental influences with physicalactivity and screen time among young children: a systematic review. J Obes 2015;2015(1):546925..

Some studies of this review observed differences between gender in regard to the association of physical activity of children and the physical activity of their parents1313 Silva SM, Knuth AG, Del Duca GF, Camargo MBJ, Cruz SH, Castagno V, et al. Prevalência e fatores associados à prática de esportes individuais e coletivos em adolescentes pertencentes a uma coorte de nascimentos. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esporte2009;23(3):263-74.,1515 Loch MR, Porpeta RH, Brunetto BC. Relação entre a prática de atividade física no lazer dos pais e a dos filhos. Rev Bras Cienc Esporte 2015;37(1):29-34.,1616 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40.,1919 Fernandes RA, Christofaro DGD, Milanez VF, Casonatto J, Cardoso JR, RonqueERV, et al. Physical activity: rate, related factors, and association between parents and children. Rev Paul Pediatr 2011;29(1):54-9.,2020 Ramos CGC, Andrade RG, Andrade ACS, Fernandes AP, Costa DAS, Xavier CC, et al. Family context and the physical activity of adolescents: comparing differences. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2017;20(3):537-48.. This observation is similar to findings involving other adolescent sample, where the physical activity of girls was more strongly related with the practice of physical activity of the mothers, and in boys was related with physical activity of their fathers99 Solomon-Moore E, Toumpakari Z, Sebire SJ, Thompson JL, Lawlor DA, Jago R. Roles of mothers and fathers in supporting child physical activity: a cross-sectionalmixed-methods study. BMJ Open 2018;8(1):e019732.. One possible hypothesis is that boys present higher practice of physical activity than girls, besides the fact that girls are less favored in socioecological aspects, such as individuality, family and scholar environment for practice of physical activity2828 Telford RM, Telford RD, Olive LS, Cochrane T, Davey R. Why are girls less physically active than boys? Findings from the LOOK Longitudinal Study. PLoS One 2016;11(3):e0150041.. Another possibility is that males adult present higher practice of physical activity in leisure time than women2929 Azevedo MR, Araújo CLP, Reichert FF, Siqueira FV, da Silva MC, Hallal PC. Gender differences in leisure-time physical activity. Int J Public Health2007;52(1):8-15. and this can reflect a more strongly association of physical activity of children and adolescents with their fathers than their mothers.

The assessment of physical activity by questionnaire for majority of the selected studies corresponds to a methodological limitation of the evidences. A previous systematic review observed that self-reported measures of physical activity can present results below or above from the objective measurements, that can importantly compromises the confiability of information3030 Prince SA, Adamo KB, Hamel ME, Hardt J, Gorber SC, Tremblay M. A comparison of direct versus self-report measures for assessing physical activity in adults:a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2008;5(1):56.. Therefore, although the evaluation of physical activity by accelerometry promote slightly consistent results, the questionnaires provide complementary information such as the domains of physical activity andthe use of both instruments can provide more complete informations3131 Skender S, Ose J, Chang-Claude J, Paskow M, Bruhmann B, Siegel EM, et al. Accelerometry and physical activity questionnaires - a systematic review. BMC Public Health 2016;16(1):515..

Only two studies observed no significant association between physical activity of parents and their children in this review1717 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4.,1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63.. One possible hypothesis is that the study of Silva et al.1818 Silva ICM, Kremer MM, Hallal PC, Knuth AG, Amorim TEC, Rombaldi AJ, et al. Atividade física de pais e filhos: um estudo de base populacional. Ver Bras Educ Fis Esp 2008;22(4):257-63. does not have a design performed specifically to assess this outcome, since it was analyzed the data from 972 participants from 20 to 69 years, of which 384 adults reported to have at least a children with age between 6 to 18 years (~40% of the sample). The other study1717 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4., that report no significant association, has a sample with age lower than all the others included studies, with the exception of only one2323 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14.. In this sense, there is limited evidence in literature that parental physicalactivity is a predictor of physical activity of children with 6 years or less3232 Jago R, Solomon-Moore E, Macdonald-Wallis C, Thompson JL, Lawlor DA, Sebire SJ. Association of parents’ and children’s physical activity and sedentary time in Year 4 (8-9) and change between Year 1 (5-6) and Year 4: a longitudinal study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2017;14(1):110. and this relation is still dependent on the type of physical activity and on the age group3333 Sarker H, Anderson LN, Borkhoff CM, Abreo K, Tremblay MS, Lebovic G, et al.Validation of parent-reported physical activity and sedentary time by accelerometryin young children. BMC Res Notes 2015;8(1):735. although the participation of parents has been the preferredcondition reported by children of 3-6 years for the practice of physical activity3434 Rebold MJ, Lepp A, Kobak MS, McDaniel J, Barkley JE. The effect of parental involvement on children’s physical activity. J Pediatr 2016;170(1):206-10.. Another possible hypothesis for the divergent results between the two studies was the use of different methods of physical activity assessmentand were conducted in different regions of the country, where one study from South region used accelerometer and assessed only the mothers1717 Knuth AG, Silva ICM, van Hees VT, Cordeira K, Matijasevich A, Barros AJD, et al. Objectively-measured physical activity in children is influenced by social indicators rather than biological lifecourse factors: Evidence from a Braziliancohort. Prev Med 2017;97(1):40-4. and the other study from Northeast region used a questionnaire for physical activity assessment and evaluated both fathers and mothers2323 Wanderley Júnior RS, Hardman CM, Oliveira ESA, Brito ALS, Barros SSH, Barros MVG. Parental factors associated with physical activity among preschoolers:the importance of parents’ participation in physical activities with their children. Rev Bras Ativ Fis Saude 2013;18(2):205-14..

Only one included study evaluated a sample residing in rural area1616 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40.. Previous study observed that the level of physical activity of children and adolescents from rural areas was significantly lower than those who residing in urban areas3535 Moore JB, Beets MW, Morris SF, Kolbe MB. Comparison of objectively measured physical activity levels of rural, suburban, and urban youth. Am J Prev Med 2014;46(3):289-92.. Raphaelli et al.1616 Raphaelli CO, Azevedo MR, Hallal PC. Association between health risk behaviorsin parents and adolescents in a rural area in southern Brazil. Cad Saude Publica 2011;27(12):2429-40. observed significant association between the practice of physical activity of parents and the physical activity of their children. These findings are convergent with observed in the study of Larsen et al.3636 Larsen H, Dinkel D, Warehime S, Berg K. The relationship between parental and child physical activity in a rural community. Fam Community Health 2017;40(4):331-7., that evaluated a sample between 8 and 11 years from a rural community in Midwest region of United States. One possible hypothesis is that even the practice of physical activity is lower in rural areas, the family environment may exert similar influence when analyzed the parental physical activity.

In accordance to the findings of Mendonça et al.2424 Mendonça G, Júnior JC,. Physical activity and social support in adolescents: analysisof different types and sources of social support. J Sports Sci 2015;33(18):1942-51., Pyper et al.3737 Pyper E, Harrington D, Manson H. The impact of different types of parental support behaviors on child physical activity, health eating, and screen time: across-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2016;16(1):568. showed that besides the parental practice of physical activity, the social support of parents are predictors significantly related with sufficient levels of physical activity of their children, such as taking the children to places where they can be physically actives. Thus, the parents have a fundamental role in the consolidation of physically active lifestyle in early ages, which contributes to the increase of chance to become physically active adults and consequently have a lower incidence of morbidities due to sedentary lifestyle, such as obesity3838 Kwon S, Janz KF, Letuchy EM, Burns TL, Levy SM,. Active lifestyle in childhoodand adolescence prevents obesity development in young adulthood: Iowa Bone Development Study. Obesity 2015;23(12):2462-9.. Despite this, it was observed that the level of physical activity of parents is lower than their nonparents counterparts and the mothers presented larger inadequate eating habits and higher body mass index when compared to women with no children3939 Berge JM, Larson N, Bauer KW, Neumark-Sztainer D. Are parents of young children practicing healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors? Pediatrics 2011;127(5):881-7..

An important limitation of this review is the cut point used to identify sufficient engagement in physical activity, that is widely problematic in the literature, mainly because the studies that have composed this systematic review use a large variety of cut points and different domains (e.g., sports practice, time reported in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, physical activity level by quartiles of dimensionless score) for both parents and children, such as the lack of specific social support definition, limiting comparisons among them. Otherwise, as practical application, this review highlight the important role of familiar environment for promote healthy habits in early ages, with the practice of physical activity by parents as encouragement of the practice of physical activity by their children.

In this sense, the education of parents contributes to higher probability of adequate growth of their children, in part for the increase of the possibility for getting more resources, been highlighted that educate parents residing in low and middle-income countries it is an investment in health4040 Bornstein MH, Putnick DL, Bradley RH, Lansford JE, Deater-Deckard K.Pathways among caregiver education, household resources, and infant growth in 39 low- and middle-income countries. Infancy 2015;20(4):353-76..

CONCLUSION

The practice of physical activity of parents was associated with physical activity engagement of their children in the most of studies. Two studies did not observed significant relationship, but otherwise, no study observed negative associations. Strategies to encourage the practice of physical activity aimed at children and adolescents might to consider the important role of family environment, with emphasis in practice of physical activity of parents, that may also differently associated with physical activity of boys and girls.

Funding

  • This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. This study was funded by the authors.

Conflict of interest statement

  • The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Jul-Aug 2018

History

  • Received
    22 Apr 2017
  • Accepted
    10 July 2018
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