Skip to main content

Table 2 Studies and effect sizes of parental modeling and child and adolescent physical activity (k = 36)

From: Parental correlates in child and adolescent physical activity: a meta-analysis

Study, country

Sample (number, gender, mean age)

Design

Parental PA measure

Child PA measure

Results

Corrected effect size

Alderman et al. (2010) [36] USA

N = 70

PRO (1–9 yrs)

Parent self-report

Parent report

Children’s MVPA & parental PA: r = .44, p < .05 at baseline; r = .08, p < .05 at follow-up

.37

43 m, 26 f

.70* (97% respondents mothers)

.70*

4-6 yrs at baseline; 5–15 yrs at follow-up

Mean r = .26

Ammouri et al. (2007) [37] USA

N = 284

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Adolescents’ PA & parental PA: β = .019

.03

98 m, 186 f

GLTEQ

SAPAC

15.3 yrs

.70*

.80

Berge et al. (2014) [38] USA

N = 200

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Adolescents’ MVPA & parental MVPA β = .11, p < .05 (resident parent)

.15

80 m, 120 f

GLTEQ

GLTEQ

14.2 yrs

.75 (80% resident parent mothers)

.72

Dempsey et al. l(1993) [39] USA

N = 71

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Children’s MVPA & parents’ MVPA: β = −.17

-.24

36 m, 35 f

Adapted GLTEQ

Adapted GLTEQ

10.2 yrs

.70*

.70*

Dowda et al. (2011) [40] USA

N = 369

CS

Parent self-report

Accelerometer (2 wks)

Children’s MVPA & parents’ PA: β = .002

.00

179m, 194 f

Sport PA .67

.80*

4.2 yrs

Non-sport PA .71

Direct observation

 

(92% respondents mothers)

(OSRAC-P) Inter-observer .91

Dzewaltowski et al. (2008) [41] USA

N = 57

CS

Child reported (adapted from the YRBSQ)

Child self-report

Children’s MVPA & parental PA: b = .22

.29

18 m, 37 f

PDPAR

12.4 yrs

.90

ICC = .64

Fredricks & Eccles (2005) [42] USA

N = 364

PRO (1 yr)

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Children’s sports PA & parents’ PA: r = .05 at baseline; r = .04 at follow-up

.06

184 m, 180 f

Sports participation

Ages 7.0-11.0 yrs at baseline

.70*

Mean r = .045

Heitzler et al. (2010) [43] USA

N = 720

CS

Parent self-report

Accelerometer (7 d)

Adolescents’ MVPA & parent PA: r = .07

.09

352 m, 368 f

IPAQ

.80*

14.7 yrs

.70*

Hendrie et al. (2011) [44] Australia

N = 106

CS

Parent self-report

Parent report

Children’s MVPA & parental PA: r = .145; partial r = .145

.19

51 m, 55 f

Adapted from the Family Food Questionnaire α = .877 (92% respondents mothers)

CLASS

8.3 yrs

.70*

Hennessy et al. (2010) [45] USA

N = 76

CS

Parent self-report

Accelerometer (5 d) .80*

Children’s MVPA & parental explicit modeling: β = −.04, p = .70

-.06

26 m, 50 f

ICC = .55 (96% respondents mothers)

9.1 yrs

Keresztes et al. (2008) [46] Hungary

N = 548

CS

Child report

Child self-report

Children’s MVPA & parents’ PA: OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.15-3.80

.41

301 m, 247 f

.70*

.70*

12.2 yrs

Labree et al. (2014) [47] Netherlands

N = 1943

CS

Parent self-report

Parent report

Children’s PA & parental modeling: r = .12, p < .05

.17

970 m, 973 f

SQUASH

.70*

8.4 yrs

.70* (mostly mothers)

Lei et al. (2004) [48] Taiwan

N = 798

CS

Child report

Child report

Adolescent MVPA & parental modeling: r = −.018, p = .616

-.02

Age range: 12–18 yrs

Parent Socialization Scale

7-day PA Survey

.70*

.82

Loprinzi et al. (2010) [49] Austrailia

N = 156

CS

Parent self-report

Parent report

Child PA & parents’ PA: β = −.04, p = .64

-.06

75 m, 81 f

IPAQ

PAEC-Q

3.7 yrs

.70*

.70*

Loprinzi et al. (2013) [50] USA

N = 176

CS

Parent self-report

Parent report

Children’s MVPA & parent PA: β = .17, p < .05

.24

82 m, 94 f

IPAQ

PAEC-Q

4.0 yrs

.70* (85% respondents mothers)

.70*

McMurray et al. (1993) [51] USA

N = 1253

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Children’s PA & parents’ exercise habits: r = .006, p = .845

.01

589 m, 664 f

.70* (70% respondents mothers)

.70*

8.8 yrs

Moore et al. (1991) [52] USA

N = 100

CS

Accelerometer (5 d)

Accelerometer (5 d)

Children’s PA & parents’ PA: OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.2-9.8; r = .46

.66

63 m, 37 f

.70*

.70*

10.4 yrs

Mota (1998) [53] Portugal

N = 45

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Children’s PA & parents’ VPA: r = .14

.17

.88

.72

Children’s PA & parents’ MPA: r = .13

18 m, 27 f

10.1 yrs

Mean r = .135

Østbye et al. (2013) [54] USA

N = 208

CS

Parent report

Accelerometer (7 d)

Children’s PA & parental modeling: r = .12

.15

116 m, 92 f

Role modeling of PA

.80*

α = .80 (all mothers)

2-5 yrs

Patnode et al. (2010) [55] USA

N = 294

CS

Parent self-report

Accelerometer (7 d)

Adolescents’ MVPA & parents’ PA: r = .003

.00

149 m, 145 f

IPAQ

.80*

15.4 yrs

.70*

Perusse et al. (1989) [56] Canada

N = 1610

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Adolescents’ PA (exercise) & parental PA: r = .09, p < .05 (n = 1039)

.10

14.6 yrs

3-day activity record

3-day activity record

.97

.91

Pfeiffer et al. (2009) [57] USA

N = 331

CS

Parent self-report

Accelerometer (8–10 d)

Children’s MVPA & parents’ PA: r = −.04

-.05

169 m, 162 f

.78 (94% respondents mothers)

.80*

4.3 yrs

Poest et al. (1989) [58] USA

N = 514

CS

Parent self-report

Teacher report

Children’s PA & parents’ PA: r = .28, p = .045

.40

269 m, 245 f

.70*

.70*

Preschool children

Polley et al. (2005) [59] USA

N = 87

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Children’s PA & parents’ PA: r = .11

.16

Children

.70*

.70*

Ruiz et al. (2011) [60] USA

N = 106

CS

Accelerometer (7 d)

Accelerometer (7 d)

Children’s MPA & parents’ PA: r = .739, p < .0001

.59

52 m, 54 f

.70* (97.2% respondents mothers)

.80*

Children’s VPA & parents’ PA: r = − .07, p > .05

4.2 yrs

Mean r = .4128

Rutkowski et al. (2012) [61] USA

N = 94

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Adolescents’ MPVA & parental PA: r = −.23, p < .05

.29

56 m, 28 f

IPAQ

PACE + MVPA

12.8 yrs

α = .80

ICC = .81

Sallis et al. (1988) [62] USA

N = 33

PRO (2.5 yrs)

Parent self-report

FATS

Children’s MPA & parents’ PA: β = .53, p < .01

.70

13 m, 20 f

.70*

.81

3.9 yrs

Singh et al. (2009) [63] USA

N = 68288

CS

Parent report

Parent report

Children’s VPA & parents’ PA: r = .24*

.34

Age range: 6–17 yrs

.70*

.70*

*controlled for other covariates

Trost et al. (2003) [64] USA

N = 380

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Adolescents’ PA & parental PA: β = .05, p = .28

.06

171 m, 209 f

Test-retest

.79

14.0 yrs

.78

Vella et al. (2014) [65] Australia

N = 4042

PRO (2 yrs)

Parent self-report MVPA

Parent report

Children’s PA & parental MVPA: OR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, p < .05; r = .01

.01

2069 m, 1973 f

.70* (96% respondents mothers)

Organized sports participation

8.3 yrs

.70*

Welk et al. (2003) [66] USA

N = 994

CS

Parent self-report

Child self-report

Children’s PA & parent PA: r = .28

.38

505 m, 489 f

.68 children

PAQ-C

10.0 yrs

.68 boys

.75-.82

.67 girls

(82% respondents mothers)

Williams & Mummery (2011) [67] Australia

N = 295

CS

Parent report

Child self-report

Adolescents’ MVPA & parents’ MVPA: adjusted OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.29-1.20

-.29

111 m 184 f

Active Australia Survey

APARQ

15.1 yrs

.70* (67% respondents mothers)

.70*

Zecevic et al. (2010) [68] Canada

N = 102

CS

Parent self-report

Parental report

Children’s PA & parental PA habits: OR = 1.620, p < .10; r = .1874

.27

54 m, 48 f

.70* (96% respondents mothers)

.70*

3.8 yrs

Zhao & Settles (2014) [69] USA

N = 1514

CS

Parent self-report

Parent report

Children’s MPA & parental PA: β = −.15, p < .05

-.17

763 m, 751 f

.70*

.70*

Children’s VPA & parental PA: β = −.09

11.8 yrs

Mean β = −.12

Ziviani et al. (2005) [70] Australia

N = 50

CS

Parent self-report

Pedometer (4 d)

Children’s’ PA & parents’ PA: β = .23

.28

26 m, 24 f

.97-1.00

.70*

7.7 yrs

Ziviani et al. (2008) [71] Australia

N = 59

CS

Parent self-report

Pedometer (4 d)

Children’s PA (weekday) & parents’ PA: r = .06

.16

26 m, 33 f

.97-1.00

.70*

Children’s PA (weekend) & parents’ PA: r = .21

8.9 yrs

Mean r = .135

  1. Note. *reliability not reported; APARQ = Adolescent Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire; CLASS = Children’s Leisure Activities Study Survey; CS = cross-sectional; d = days; f = female; FATS = Fargo Activity Timesampling Survey; GLTEQ = Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire; IPAQ = International Physical Activity Questionnaire; PRO = prospective; m = male; MPA = moderate physical activity; MVPA = moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; OSRAC-P = Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children-Preschool Version; PA = physical activity; PAEC-Q = Physical Activity and Exercise Questionnaire for Children; SAPAC = Self-Administered Physical Activity Checklist; SQUASH = Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-Enhancing Physical activity; VPA = vigorous physical activity.