Associations between parental sedentary behavior restriction strategies, screen environment, and body fat tissue among children

Abstract

Background: This study investigated associations between (1) parental and child’s reports of parental strategies aiming at restricting sedentary behavior among children, (2) availability and the number of screen devices at home environment, (3) time spent on sedentary behaviors among children and (4) the main outcome, child body fat tissue measured at a follow-up. Method: At Time 1, 879 dyads participated in the measurement. At Time 2 (7-8 month follow-up), data from 603 full parent-child dyads were collected. Children (aged 5-11) and parents provided their self-report data. Body weight and height were measured objectively with certified body weight scales (Time 1 and 2). Findings: Path analysis indicated indirect effects of availability and the number of screen devices at home environment. Furthermore, we found that child’s body fat tissue percentage (Time 2) was directly predicted by child’s perceptions of parental strategies restricting sedentary behavior among children (Time 1). These associations were found after controlling for body fat tissue, child’s gender age at Time 1. Effects of parental restriction strategies, as reported by parents, were not significant. Discussions: The findings have implications for prevention of childhood obesity and other health consequences of high levels of sedentary behaviors among children.