Yu Nanfang
School of Sports Science, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 May 19;13:1585615. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585615. eCollection 2025.
Given the prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity among Chinese adolescents, assessing the role of parents in this situation is important. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the association between parental health literacy levels and adolescents' physical activity and obesity in China.
In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 4,717 Chinese high school students and their parents participated. Parental health literacy was measured using the Chinese version of the Health Literacy Survey 2019-12-item questionnaire (HLS19-Q12), and adolescents' physical activity was assessed using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using standardized measurements of weight and height (kg/m). Statistical analyses, including independent test and multiple linear regression (to examine predictors of adolescent physical activity and BMI) were performed using SPSS 26.0 software. The significance level was set at < 0.05.
A total of 31.95% of adolescents were overweight or obese, and 48.15% had low physical activity, which was significantly lower in girls than in boys ( = 0.01, Cohen's = 0.212). Only 21.39% of parents had excellent health literacy. Higher maternal health literacy was significantly associated with increased physical activity in boys, whereas both maternal and paternal health literacy were associated with higher physical activity in girls, with maternal health literacy showing a stronger association than paternal health literacy ( < 0.001). Furthermore, low physical activity was the only factor significantly associated with higher BMI among students ( < 0.001).
The findings highlight the importance of addressing the health literacy of parents, especially mothers, in promoting adolescent physical activity and preventing obesity. Health promotion programs and educational policies should consider family-based approaches to effectively address gender-specific needs and improve adolescent health outcomes.
鉴于中国青少年肥胖和身体活动不足的普遍情况，评估父母在这种情况下的作用很重要。因此，本研究的主要目的是评估中国父母的健康素养水平与青少年身体活动及肥胖之间的关联。
在这项横断面研究中，4717名中国高中生及其父母参与了样本。使用2019年健康素养调查问卷中文版（HLS19-Q12）的12项问卷来测量父母的健康素养，并用国际身体活动问卷简版（IPAQ）评估青少年的身体活动。使用体重和身高（kg/m）的标准化测量计算体重指数（BMI）。使用SPSS 26.0软件进行统计分析，包括独立检验和多元线性回归（以检查青少年身体活动和BMI的预测因素）。显著性水平设定为<0.05。
共有31.95%的青少年超重或肥胖，48.15%的青少年身体活动不足，女孩的身体活动不足率显著低于男孩（ = 0.01，科恩氏 = 0.212）。只有21.39%的父母具有良好的健康素养。较高的母亲健康素养与男孩身体活动增加显著相关，而母亲和父亲的健康素养都与女孩较高的身体活动相关，母亲健康素养的关联比父亲健康素养更强（<0.001）。此外，身体活动不足是学生中与较高BMI显著相关的唯一因素（<0.001）。
研究结果强调了提高父母尤其是母亲的健康素养在促进青少年身体活动和预防肥胖方面的重要性。健康促进计划和教育政策应考虑以家庭为基础的方法，以有效满足特定性别的需求并改善青少年的健康状况。
