1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The purpose of our study was to examine children’s perceptions of parental social support and to estimate the associations between these perceptions and MVPA [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity] behavior in those at higher risk for becoming overweight or obese due to having at least one obese parent. Our three specific objectives were: (a) to determine if children’s perceptions of maternal and paternal tangible and intangible support differ by children’s gender and weight status; (b) to compare perceptions of maternal and paternal levels of support, as well as tangible and intangible levels of support in normal-weight boys, normal-weight girls, overweight boys, and overweight girls; and (c) to examine the associations between children’s perceptions of maternal and paternal tangible and intangible support and MVPA behavior.» (p. 200)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«For this study, we used baseline data from the Quebec Adiposity and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth (QUALITY), an ongoing longitudinal investigation of 630 Caucasian children aged 8 to 10 years old at study inception.» (p. 200)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Overall, perceptions of parental support differed slightly by gender and weight status, such that boys reported more paternal than maternal tangible support, and overweight children perceived more maternal intangible support compared with normal-weight children. Further, levels of perceived social support were statistically significantly different across source and type in each of the four groups. Finally, perceptions of paternal tangible support were positively associated with MVPA behavior, but only in normal-weight girls.» (p. 203) «[O]ur results suggest that parents might not be the primary source of support for MVPA in boys because perceptions of maternal and paternal support, regardless of type, were not related to MVPA behavior in boys. Gender socialization might help explain these findings. Schoolbased physical activities such as physical education and intramurals may benefit boys because competitiveness and motor mastery are frequently promoted (Garrett, 2004). Further, many of the physical activities taught to children are sports that embrace masculine attributes (e.g., power, strength, competition; Theberge, 2000). For these reasons, boys might inherently perceive multiple opportunities to be physically active. Accordingly, parental support may be less influential for them because they are already well integrated into these activities and have the opportunity to receive support from nonparental sources.» (p. 205)