Smith Cynthia E, Hnatiuk Jill A, Crawford Sharinne B, Hesketh Kylie D
Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong VIC 322, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.
NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence, Department of General Practice, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, SPHERE, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 7;25(1):1686. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22833-x.
Previous research suggests that parenting confidence is important for child outcomes but what could influence parenting confidence is less clear. This study aims to examine associations between parental physical activity and general and physical activity-specific parenting confidence.
Baseline data from the Let's Grow randomised controlled trial of 1481 parents (1338 mothers and 143 fathers) were used. Parent physical activity was device-assessed and self-reported. An adapted version of the HAPPY scale and the Me as a Parent scale were used to assess physical activity-specific and general parenting confidence respectively. Associations were assessed separately for mothers and fathers via linear regressions adjusted for parents' age, education, and siblings.
Self-reported physical activity was positively associated with general and physical activity-specific parenting confidence for mothers (β = 0.19, CI = 0.0, 0.34 and β = 0.04, CI = 0.02, 0.05 respectively). No associations were found between device-assessed physical activity and either parenting confidence for mothers. No associations were found for fathers.
Self-reported physical activity was most robustly associated with physical activity-specific parenting confidence for mothers. A similar pattern was observed for fathers but the smaller sample size widened confidence intervals. Mothers' perceptions of their physical activity may be an important consideration for future research. Understanding these associations may help to support parents in achieving optimal health outcomes for both themselves and their children.
先前的研究表明育儿信心对孩子的成长结果很重要，但哪些因素会影响育儿信心尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨父母体育活动与一般育儿信心以及体育活动特定育儿信心之间的关联。
使用了来自“让我们成长”随机对照试验的1481名父母（1338名母亲和143名父亲）的基线数据。父母的体育活动通过设备评估和自我报告来衡量。分别使用改编版的HAPPY量表和“作为父母的我”量表来评估体育活动特定育儿信心和一般育儿信心。通过对父母年龄、教育程度和兄弟姐妹数量进行调整的线性回归，分别评估母亲和父亲的关联。
自我报告的体育活动与母亲的一般育儿信心和体育活动特定育儿信心呈正相关（β = 0.19，CI = 0.0，0.34；β = 0.04，CI = 0.02，0.05）。未发现设备评估的体育活动与母亲的任何一种育儿信心之间存在关联。未发现父亲有相关关联。
自我报告的体育活动与母亲的体育活动特定育儿信心关联最为显著。父亲也观察到类似模式，但样本量较小使得置信区间变宽。母亲对自身体育活动的认知可能是未来研究的一个重要考量因素。了解这些关联可能有助于支持父母为自己和孩子实现最佳健康结果。
