Positive parenting practices support youth’s active behaviors during the transition from elementary to secondary school

Oral

Abstract Overview

Background: Parents significantly influence children’s physical activity (PA) and screen time, but this impact may change as children age. The transition to secondary school is often accompanied by a decline in youth’s active behaviors, but parental influence during this time is understudied.

Purpose: This study longitudinally examined how parenting practices affect youth’s screen time and PA across two cohorts (pandemic and non-pandemic cohorts) and evaluated the moderating effect of transitioning to secondary school on these relationships.

Methods: We followed 689 parent-adolescent dyads (73% mothers, average parent age 46±5.4; 52% female youths, average age 13±0.3) from elementary to secondary school. Data were collected pre-pandemic for 42% of the dyads (non-pandemic cohort) and 58% had their data collected during the pandemic (pandemic cohort). Parents self-reported their parenting practices and youths’ self-reported their screen time and PA. Mixed effect models with interactions between parenting practices and school transition were used to examine changes in parental influences on youth’s active behaviors over time within each cohort.

Results: Distinct trends emerged between cohorts during the school transition. Non-pandemic youth showed increased screen time and decreased PA. Conversely, the pandemic sample saw a decrease in screen time and stable PA. Positive parenting practices consistently predicted lower screen time across both school levels in the non-pandemic cohort, and only in elementary school in the pandemic cohort. It also predicted higher PA in both cohorts before and after the school transition.

Conclusions: Our findings underscore the role of positive parenting in sustaining youth’s behaviors during the critical transition to secondary schools and emphasized the influence of pandemic conditions on parent-child dynamics.

Practical implication: Interventions that target the transition to secondary schools and support parenting practices are needed to sustain youth’s active lifestyle.
Funding: CIHR (PI: Mâsse); BCCHR Salary (Mâsse); MSHR-BC (De-Jongh Gonzalez)

Additional Authors

Name: Louise C Masse
Affiliation: University of British Columbia
Presenting Author: yes
Name: Olivia de Jongh Gonzalez
Affiliation: University of British Columbia
Presenting Author: no
Name: Iyoma Edache
Affiliation: University of British Columbia
Presenting Author: no
Name: Claire N Tugault-Lafleur
Affiliation: University of Ottawa
Presenting Author: no

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Information

Study Type: Other
Subtheme: Other (please specify)
Subtheme other Title: Mechanism of behavior change
Population Group: Children
Setting: Family

Submitting Author

Louise C. Mâsse
Professor
University of British Columbia
Canada

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