Premium
Influence of parental perceived environment on physical activity, TV viewing, active play and Body Mass Index among Portuguese children: A mediation analysis
Author(s) -
Carmo Ariene S.,
Rodrigues Daniela,
Nogueira Helena,
Mendes Larissa L.,
Santos Luana C.,
Gama Augusta,
MachadoRodrigues Aristides M.,
Silva MariaRaquel G.,
RosadoMarques Vítor,
Padez Cristina
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.23400
Subject(s) - mediation , body mass index , structural equation modeling , portuguese , physical activity , obesity , psychology , perception , demography , developmental psychology , medicine , physical therapy , linguistics , statistics , philosophy , mathematics , neuroscience , sociology , political science , law
Objectives The environment is believed to be key in obesity prevention, yet it is unclear how factors in the neighborhood influence weight‐related behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of parental perceived environment on physical activity (PA), television (TV) time, active play and Body Mass Index (BMI) z score, and the mediating role of these weight‐related behaviors on the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and children's BMI. Methods Data of 8472 Portuguese preschool (aged 3‐6, n = 3819) and school‐aged children (aged 7‐11 years, n = 4653) were collected during 2016/2017. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the associations between parents perceived neighborhood characteristics (latent variables: unsafety and built/physical environment) and child's BMI z score, PA and TV time. Results Among preschoolers, the latent variables of the perceived environment were not associated with the BMI, TV time, extracurricular PA, and active play. Among schoolchildren, the unsafety environment was positively associated with both the BMI (SC = 0.050, P = .008) and the time spent watching TV (SC = 0.052, P = .031) and negatively associated with extracurricular PA (SC = −0.125, P < .001). The latent variable Favorable Built Environment for PA (ie, environmental facilitating elements) was positively associated with active play (SC = 0.041, P = .031). Moreover, the TV time was a marginally significant mediator of the relationship between the perceived unsafe environment and the BMI of school‐aged children ( B = 0.002, P = .096). Conclusions In conclusion, changes in the environment to targeting parental perception of neighborhood safety could have positive effects on the promotion of healthy weight and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle in school‐aged children.