Maternal vs Paternal Parenting Practices Associated with Child Physical Activity and Screen-Time: A Systematic Review

Background: Research shows that parenting practices are associated with physical activity (PA) and screen-time among children, but the differential effects between mothers and fathers remain unclear.

Purpose: To synthesize the scientific literature comparing maternal and paternal parenting practices associated with PA and screen-time behaviors among 3-17-year-olds.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of quantitative cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental studies published in English from 2000-2021. The search encompassed 10 electronic databases, yielding 15 eligible articles. Study selection and extraction processes followed the PRISMA guidelines.

Results: Fifteen papers examined associations between maternal and paternal parenting practices and child total PA (20%), light PA (7%), moderate and vigorous PA (40%), step count (13%), computer use (7%), TV watching (7%), and total screen-time (20%). The majority of studies focused on PA (87%) and a smaller proportion focused on screen-time (27%). The few consistent findings across PA studies highlighted that child PA is linked to greater parental support, modeling and co-participation in PA, whether implemented by both parents or solely by fathers. Conversely, in the screen-time context, significant associations were similarly observed between mothers and fathers, with restriction and monitoring predicting lower screen-time, and modeling unhealthy screen use predicting higher screen-time.

Conclusions: These findings suggest distinct parental roles in influencing child PA, but similar influences with respect to screen-time. These results should be interpreted with caution as there is a relatively small number of studies that have compared mothers and fathers, and parenting practices are operationalized differently across studies.

Practical implications: This review illustrates opportunities for further research and highlights the critical role of involving fathers in the development and implementation of familial interventions designed to encourage active behaviors in children.

Funding: MSHRBC (ODJG); BCCHRI (LCM); USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, BCM (SOH, TMO).