Development of the Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale (PPPAS): Results from two studies with parents of infants and toddlers

Parental Perceptions of Physical Activity and Risk of Disease Associated with Sedentary Behaviours in Infants and Toddlers

OBJECTIVES

The current study intends to measure parents' perceptions of newborn and toddler physical activity.

METHODS

A Cross-sectional study was conducted at the pediatric clinic at a University Hospital in Riyadh. The parents or guardians of children 0 to 3 years of age, healthy infants, and toddlers who visited the vaccination and pediatric clinic at a University Hospital in Riyadh, were recruited. The Parental Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale (PPPAS) was translated into the Arabic language. The Chi-square test was applied to observe the association between categorical variables. P value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 383 parents were recruited. There was a significant association observed between physical activity and income, employment, and education. A significant association was observed between the following perceptions; the child enjoys physical activity, it increases the child's fitness level, the strength of the muscles, flexibility, and life span, improves happiness, keeps the child active, and provides a sense of achievement, and decrease future weight problems.

CONCLUSION FOR PRACTICE

The study determined that parental inclination towards engaging in a physical activity intervention for their infants, as well as identifying any concerns that may impact their children's adherence to physical activity was satisfied.

The Role of Motivation and Physical Self-Concept in Accomplishing Physical Activity in Primary School Children

BACKGROUND

The goal of this research is to identify correlations of motivation and physical self-concept with physical activity among students of younger school age, as well as the level of prediction of motivation and physical self-concept with physical activity of students in physical education classes.

METHODS

The sample of respondents consisted of 411 students of the third and fourth grades from the territory of the Zlatibor district. A modified Self-Regulation Questionnaire was used to assess students' motivational orientations, while appropriate subscales of the Self-perception Profile for Children measuring instrument were used to assess physical self-concept. Physical activity is shown as volume and intensive physical activity (vigorous physical activity (VPA)), measured with a Suunto memory belt pedometer and heart-rate monitor.

RESULTS

Boys' motivational predictor variables accounted for 14% (volume) and 28% (VPA) of their physical activity in class, with intrinsic motivation, introjective regulation (just for the level of physical activity), and identified regulation as the most important determinants of physical activity. For girls, the identified regulation variable (from the system of motivational predictor variables) was shown to be the primary predictor variable on both criterion variables (R2 = 0.34 and 0.36).

CONCLUSION

The teaching of physical education for students of younger school age should be conceived by creating a motivational climate, in order to encourage physical activity.

Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the parent perceptions of physical activity scale

BACKGROUND

The Parent Perceptions of Physical Activity Scale (PPPAS) is a scale developed to measure the physical activity perceptions of parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders about their children. Turkish version of the PPPAS has yet to be established. The purpose of the present study is to examine the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the PPPAS.

METHODS

The study included 130 parents with neurodevelopmental children. In the validity analyses of PPPAS, language validity, content validity analysis, and confirmatory and explanatory factor analysis were performed for construct validity. In the reliability analyses, Cronbach alpha analysis was used for internal consistency analysis, and intraclass correlation (ICC) analysis was used for test retest.

RESULTS

The validity index was calculated as 0.94. Since the factor loading of the three questions in the survey remained below 40%,these questions were removed. Construct validity was achieved for two primary subscales of the PPPAS. It was found that the ICC valuesfor the reliability analysis of the PPPAS showed a perfect fit at the level of 0.918 for the benefits of the physical activity subdimension, and the physical activity barriers subdimension showed a perfect fit at the level of 0.916 (p = 0.001).

DISCUSSION

The Turkish PPPAS, which consists of two subscales, namely the benefits and barriers of physical activity, is valid and reliable. This tool can measure the physical activity perceptions of parents with preschool-age children with neurodevelopmental disorders in the Turkish population.

Are parental depressive symptoms related to the sleep quality and physical activity of their children with developmental disabilities?

BACKGROUND

Parenting young children with developmental disabilities presents unique opportunities and challenges. Parents can experience meaningful priority shifts in and appreciation for their lives, but they can also be at greater risk for diminished emotional health. Physiological child factors warrant further investigation as correlates for parent risk of or protection from depression.

AIM

This study examined the relations between parental depressive symptoms and the (1) sleep quality and (2) physical activity in their children with developmental disabilities adjusting for parent- and child-level factors.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Children and parents were recruited for participation in this study from a university-based neurodevelopmental clinic. Parents completed questionnaires about themselves including measures of depressive symptoms and about their children including measures of sleep quality and physical activity. Researchers administered developmental measures to the children and physicians completed children's diagnostic evaluations. Participants were 147 children (32 ± 4 months old) mostly with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents (mostly mothers). Factors associated with parent-reported depressive symptoms were analyzed with a generalized linear model.

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

An R²_deviance value of 43 % confirmed that there was a substantial, moderate-to-large sized, improvement in the proportion of variance explained by the final model when compared with a null, or intercept-only, model. Depressive symptoms were approximately two times higher for parents of children with above average sleep disturbances and one and half times higher for parents whose children engaged in above average physical activity.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Our study demonstrates the importance of considering children's sleep and physical activity in supporting children's developmental disabilities because they may offer pathways to enhanced family resilience and well-being.

Longitudinal Association Between Participation in Organized Sport and Psychosocial Development in Early Childhood

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether the associations between developmental delays in the first year of life and psychosocial outcomes in preschool children are affected by participation in organized sport.

STUDY DESIGN

Data were obtained from the infant cohort of the Growing Up in Ireland project. Parents reported on child development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire) at age 1 year, psychosocial characteristics (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) at ages 3 and 5 years, and engagement in organized sport at age 5 years. Data were analyzed using mixed models.

RESULTS

At age 1 year, 15% of the cohort was classified as having developmental delays. These children exhibited more behavioral difficulties (0.55, ±0.27; mean difference, ±95% confidence limits [CL]) (P < .0001) and fewer prosocial behaviors (-0.54, ±0.11) (P < .0001) at age 3 years. For boys in this group, engagement in sport was associated with a significant decrease in behavioral difficulties between ages 3 and 5 years (-0.44, ±0.39) (P = .03). Compared with those classified as lacking regular engagement (ie, never engaging, or engaging <1 hour/week), the relative effect of sport on changes in behavioral difficulties for boys with developmental delays was statistically significant (0.70, ±0.59) (P = .02). Participation in sport was not associated with significant changes in behavioral difficulties for girls, or a significant change in prosocial behaviors for boys or girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Regular participation in sport by boys could attenuate some of the behavioral difficulties associated with early development. Lack of opportunities for engaging in sport could negatively affect boys' behavioral regulation in the preschool period.

Measuring Sports' Perceived Benefits and Aggression-Related Risks: Karate vs. Football

Little is known about people's perceived benefits and risks of sports, despite their role in shaping people's intentions to engage in them. Here, we developed and tested a scale to measure perceived physical, emotional, cognitive, and social benefits as well as aggression-related risks of karate and football. Additionally, we compared these perceptions within and between these two sports, as well as among undergraduates with current/former participation in different types of physical activity (viz., martial artists, team sports players, participants in other types of physical activity, and non-participants). After a literature review, we created a 5-factor scale with 20 items administered to 184 undergraduates, along with questions about physical activity participation. After removing five items, confirmatory factor analyses supported the factor structure of the scale. Factor loadings and reliability indices were acceptable, though less than desirable results were found concerning the average variance extracted of all benefits dimensions and the reliability of the social benefits dimension. Analyses of variance showed that: (a) physical benefits were seen as the salient outcomes of karate and football, though martial artists perceived karate's physical, emotional, and social benefits to the same extent; (b) in comparison to football, karate was perceived to bring more emotional and cognitive benefits and to entail less aggressiveness risks; (c) karate and football perceptions varied as a function of participant's involvement in physical activity. This study presents a promising instrument to gather information on people's perceptions about karate and football, which can be used to foster people's engagement in them.

Psychological Determinants of Physical Activity and Development in Early Childhood Among Children With Developmental Delays: The Role of Parent Beliefs Regarding the Benefits of Physical Activity

Among the various psychological determinants of physical activity (PA) in early childhood, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of parent beliefs in the benefits of PA for their child. Believing that PA is beneficial may impact parent behavior, resulting in more opportunities for PA in early childhood, particularly among children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDs) who may face more barriers to PA. Greater opportunity for PA may promote the development of motor skills and healthy body composition. This study examined the association between parental beliefs about PA and children's weight status in a sample of 147 children (32 ± 4 months old) with NDs. The proportion of parents with below average (mean − 1SD) perceptions of the benefits of PA whose children were overweight or obese was approximately was 2.5 times (proportion ratio, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.05–5.27) larger than it was for parents with above average (mean + 1SD) perceptions (after adjusting for the confounding effects of ethnicity, marital status, and mothers' self-reported depressive symptoms). Mothers' self-reported depressive symptoms was the only other covariate that was significantly associated with the weight status of these children, though, these data also signal possible (p = 0.07) differences in proportions between Hispanic/Latinx and White children in the sample who were classified as overweight and obese. Our study demonstrates the importance of considering parental or caregiver beliefs in the value of PA as another risk factor that may predict risk for overweight and obesity. Future studies should include parental beliefs in the benefits of PA as a potential psychological determinant of PA and associated health outcomes.