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Table 4 Physical activity (PA) parenting practices item bank – full list of items by domain and list of items included in the short form

From: The physical activity parenting practices (PAPP) item Bank: a psychometrically validated tool for improving the measurement of physical activity parenting practices of parents of 5–12-year-old children

Constructs

# items

IRM reliabilitya

Items

Short form

Neglect/control PA parenting practices domain

Coercive control

19 items (.94)

3

My child can convince me to not enroll him/her in any physical activity or sport classes during the year

 

4

I have to nag or constantly remind my child to be physically active in his/her free time.

5

I threaten to take away privileges (e.g., TV or video game times) if my child does not spend time being physically active in his/her free time

 

6

I try to guilt my child to be more physically active by telling him/her that s/he has been lazy

 

7

The only way I can get my child to play outside is by insisting that my child goes outside

8

My child knows that I get upset and angry at him/her if s/he is not participating in physical activity in his/her free time

 

9

To help my child improve at sports or physical activity, I have to push my child hard

10

When the weather allows, I force my child to play outside even if s/he does not feel like it

11

I discipline my child for refusing to exercise or being inactive in his/her free time

 

12

To encourage my child to be physically active, I promise a sweet or salty treat (e.g., dessert) if s/he is active

 

13

I complain to my child when s/he is not active enough in order to get him/her to be more active

 

14

To get my child to practice his/her activities, I often say “your friends will make fun of you if you do not get better at your activities (e.g., sport, dance)

15

I insist that my child participates in organized sports or physical activities instead of playing with his/her friends

 

16

I show my child people who are unhealthy (overweight) to get him or her to be more physically active

 

17

I tell my child s/he will gain weight if s/he doesn’t exercise

 

18

I tell my child s/he will get diabetes or other diseases if s/he is not physically active on a regular basis

 

19

I take something away (no dessert or TV) or add an additional chore (clean up toys) if my child refuses to take part in physical activity or sports

 

20

To make my child do more physical activity in his/her free time, I tell him/her to stop being lazy

21

The only way I get my child to exercise or be physically active in his/her free time is by forcing him/her to be active

Structure PA parenting practices domain

Nondirective support

10 items (.89)

22

Participate in any physical activity (such as playing ball or sports) with your child

23

Go for walks with your child

 

24

Walk or bike with your child to go to places that are near your home (a few minutes away) even though it would be quicker to drive

 

25

Ask your child to exercise or be physically active with you

26

Our family is physically active together

27

Participation in physical activity and sports is central to what our family does together

 

29

I talk about my physical activity with my child

 

30

Do at least 30 min of physical activity or exercise (e.g., walking, cycling, or playing a sport) on your own or with others? d

 

31

Keep track (in your head or writing down) whether your child did 60 min physical activity or exercise every day d

 

33

Arrange for your child to be with friends that would encourage your child to be physically active

 

Supportive expectation

8 items (.85)

35

I make sure my child has the physical activity or sport equipment to use when s/he wants to play outside (like soccer balls, basketballs, or active outdoor toys)

36

I often buy active or outdoor physical activity equipment or toys to encourage my child to play outside

 

37

When the weather allows, I have expectations that my child should play outside

38

I believe that children should participate in some form of physical activity or sports on most days of the week

 

39

I have expectations that my child should get physical activity through play in his/her free time

40

I have expectations that my family should be physically active together every week

 

41

I have expectations that my child must be physically active every day for about

 

42

During the school year, I expect my child to enroll in physical activities or sports outside of the school day, at least …

 

Facilitation

3 items (.79)

44

During the SCHOOL YEAR, I enroll my child in organized sport or physical activity classes (e.g., swimming lessons, dance, karate, soccer, or other)

46

When school is out in the SUMMER, I find ways for my child to be physically active by enrolling him/her in summer activities (including sport related summer camps)

47

When school is out in the SUMMER, how many days per week did you typically spend taking your child to his/her sport or physical activity classes or practices (excluding summer camps)

Restrict inside PA 3 items (.80)

49

How often do you restrict active play (e.g., ball games, running, wrestling) inside your home

50

How often do you tell your child to stop playing too actively because someone may get hurt if s/he continues the activity

51

How often do you prevent your child from playing actively for fear of someone getting hurt

Allow unsurpervised outdoor PA

3 items (.89)

54

Do you let your child play outside on his/her own without direct adult supervision?

55

Do you let your child walk to places on his/her own?

57

Do you let your child take public transportation to places on his/her own?

Autonomy promotion PA parenting practices domain

Autonomy support

9 items (.91)

58

On the weekends, I encourage my child to play outside when the weather allows

 

66

Discuss the benefits of being active with your child without making your child feel bad

 

67

Tell your child that you like it when s/he spends time outdoors being active

 

68

I show my child examples of role models (people who are active) that my child can relate with to encourage him/her to be physically active

 

75

Make your child’s sport or physical activity participation a topic of family conversation

 

78

Spend time teaching your child how to play a sport or learn a physical activity skill

 

79

Tell your child that you are proud of him/her for participating in any physical activity or something to do with sports

80

Praise your child for being physically active or for participating in sports or physical activity classes

83

I find it stimulating to hear my child talk about the progress s/he is making in learning a new sport or physical activity skill

 

Guided Choice

7 items (.88)

84

I asked my child to let me know what activities s/he would like to do

85

I involved my child in deciding which physical activity or sports s/he is enrolled in

86

I provided my child with choices about the physical activity s/he does

87

I allowed my child to pick the types of physical activity/sports we do together

 

88

I asked my child to decide when s/he could be active in his/her free time.

 

89

When I discuss with my child when s/he should be active, we can quickly agree on a solution we are both happy with

 

92

I allowed my child to choose the physical activity/sports we do as a family (whether we go for a walk, hike, bike ride, or play an active game).

Reward

3 items (.88)

93

I give my child a small reward (e.g., sticker, badge, or take my child to a movie) when s/he Is being physically active in his/her free time

95

I give my child a small reward (e.g., sticker, badge, or take my child to a movie) when s/he tries hard at his/her physical activity or sport

96

I give my child a small reward (e.g., sticker, badge, or take my child to a movie) when s/he participates in organized sports or physical activity classes

  1. IRM reliability = Empirical reliability computed from Item Response Modeling (IRM) which takes into account the ordinal nature of the data
  2. aThe IRM reliability for the short form is fixed at .80 for these constructs
  3. √ = Item included in the short form