Understanding Parent Support for Physical Activity and Motor Skill Development during Early Childhood

Physical activity (PA) during early childhood is associated with physical, cognitive and mental health benefits and is predictive of PA across the lifespan. The development of fundamental movement skills (FMS) in the early years provides the foundation for lifelong PA participation. In the early years, parents are among the most influential to a child’s development and help shape their learning and behaviours. A better understanding of how parents support children’s PA and FMS is necessary to help address the declining rates of PA and FMS among young children. This doctoral research program consisted of three independent and complimentary studies. Study 1 was a feasibility study that examined parents’ (n=20) usage and perceptions of the acceptability and feasibility of an online parent-mediated physical literacy intervention for preschool-aged children. The findings from this study suggested that while online approaches may be a feasible way to engage parents of young children, further investigation into the theoretical determinants of parent PA and FMS support was warranted. Study 2 and 3 focused on gaining an in-depth understanding of the role of parents for supporting PA and FMS in early childhood. In Study 2, moderation analyses were used to examine the relationship between parent support, child PA and motor skills among 589 children aged four to five years old. Parent support had a significant, positive relationship with motor skills among children who engaged in relatively low levels of PA (B=5.96, p=0.004). Similarly, parent support had a positive relationship with child PA among children with relatively low (B=2.49, p=0.066) and moderate (B=0.90, p=0.372) motor skills. Study 3 sought to examine the antecedents to parent PA and FMS support using a mixed-methods study design. Positioned within the multi-process action control framework, a cross-sectional design was used to survey 124 parents of children aged three to four years on reflective (e.g., attitudes), regulatory (e.g., planning) and reflexive (e.g., habit) processes related to PA and FMS support. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of 20 parents to gain a more nuanced understanding of parent PA and FMS support behaviours. Survey findings demonstrated that parents’ intentions and support behaviours for child PA and FMS were associated with a combination of reflective, regulatory and reflexive processes. Interview findings highlighted the ways by which parents viewed support for PA and FMS differently and the unique barriers and facilitators to PA and FMS support. The collective findings from this doctoral research program provide evidence that parent support influences child PA and FMS in the early years. Importantly, this program of research provides the practical and theoretical foundations that can be used to inform future development and testing of parent PA and FMS support interventions to increase PA and FMS in young children.

Keywords: early childhood
motor development
parent support
physical activity
Advisor: Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Kelly P
Cairney, John