Environmental and cultural correlates of physical activity parenting practices among Latino parents with pre-school aged children

Abstract

Purpose: Parents can influence their children’s PA through parenting practices (PP). Correlates of PA-PP have not been investigated. This study therefore aimed to examine the independent contributions of (1) socio-demographic, (2) cultural, (3) parent perceived-environmental, and (4) objectively-measured environmental factors, to PP that encourage or discourage preschoolers’ PA in a Latino sample of parents. Methods: A cross-sectional study of Latino parents (n=240) was conducted. Validated scales assessed: Sociodemographics; cultural variables (acculturation, familism); and perceived environmental variables (signs of disorder, traffic safety, stranger danger, neighborhood informal social control, active play equipment availability, and children’s PA places). Participant’s home address was linked to objective crime and traffic risk indices based on census block groups. The preschoolers PA-PP instrument measured the two dependent variables: A) Encouraging child PA-PP with one sub-scale (engagement/ structure), and two single items (outdoor toy availability; sports registration); and B) Discouraging child PA-PP with 4 subscales: Promote inactive transport, promote screen time, psychological control, and safety concerns. Hierarchical regression models were built in four contributory steps. The total explained outcome variance (R2) was computed for each set of predictors to a particular PP sub-factor. Results: Significant correlations to PA-PP included: Socio-demographics with outdoor toy availability, psychological control, and promotion of inactivity; Cultural factors with safety concerns; Perceived environmental attributes with five of seven PP; and Objectively-measured environmental attributes with none of the PP. Conclusions: Interventions promoting PA among Latino preschoolers may need to address parent’s environmental perceptions to effectively promote PA-PP that encourage PA while reducing PA-PP that discourage PA.