School of Kinesiology and Recreation, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA.
Kinesiology Department, Hope College, Holland, MI, USA.
Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2023 May 1;48(5):350-360. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2022-0330. Epub 2023 Feb 21.
The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence, varieties, and motivations behind parent-selected incentivization for children's physical activity (PA). Parents ( = 90; 30.0 ± 8.5 years) of children (8.7 ± 2.1 years) completed a web-based survey that included items regarding the use of PA rewards, children's moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA, min·week), access to electronic devices, and demographic characteristics. Open-ended questions were used to determine the type of activity rewarded, type of reward given, and parents' reasoning for not using PA rewards. Independent sample -tests were used to determine differences between reward groups (reward and no reward) and parent-reported children's MVPA. Open-ended responses underwent thematic analysis. Over half (55%) of the respondents provided PA rewards. There was no difference between reward groups for MVPA. Parents reported their children having access to various technology modes, including TV, tablets, video game systems, computers, and cellphones. Most of the parents (78.2%) reported restricting their child's technology time in some capacity. Rewarded PAs were thematized as "children responsibilities", "non-sport activity", and "sport". Two themes regarding types of rewards included "tangible" and "nontangible". Two underlying themes as to why parents did not give rewards were deemed "built-in-habit" and "enjoyment". Rewarding children's PA is prevalent among this sample of parents. Substantial variety exists regarding the type of PA incentivized and the type of reward provided. Future studies should explore whether parents use reward structures and how they conceptualize nontangible, electronics-based rewards versus tangible rewards to incentivize children's PA to promote lifelong behavior.
本研究旨在探讨父母为促进儿童身体活动（PA）而选择激励措施的普遍性、种类和动机。父母（n=90，年龄 30.0±8.5 岁）填写了一份在线调查问卷，其中包括与 PA 奖励使用、儿童中等到剧烈体力活动（MVPA，min·week）、电子设备的使用情况以及人口统计学特征有关的项目。采用开放式问题来确定奖励的活动类型、奖励的类型以及父母未使用 PA 奖励的原因。采用独立样本 t 检验来确定奖励组（奖励和无奖励）和父母报告的儿童 MVPA 之间的差异。对开放式回答进行主题分析。超过一半（55%）的受访者提供了 PA 奖励。奖励组之间的 MVPA 没有差异。父母报告他们的孩子可以使用各种技术模式，包括电视、平板电脑、视频游戏系统、计算机和手机。大多数父母（78.2%）以某种方式限制孩子的技术使用时间。奖励的 PA 主题化为“儿童责任”、“非运动活动”和“运动”。关于奖励类型的两个主题包括“有形”和“无形”。父母不给予奖励的两个原因主题是“习惯”和“享受”。在这个父母样本中，奖励孩子的 PA 很普遍。激励的 PA 类型和提供的奖励类型存在很大差异。未来的研究应该探讨父母是否使用奖励结构，以及他们如何将非物质、基于电子的奖励与有形奖励概念化以激励儿童的 PA，从而促进终身行为。
