Social Support and Modelling in Relation to Physical Activity Participation and Outdoor Play in Preschool Children
by
Anne Kerstin Reimers 1,*
, Karolina Boxberger 2, Steffen C. E. Schmidt 3, Claudia Niessner 3, Yolanda Demetriou 4, Isabel Marzi 1 and Alexander Woll 3
Anne Kerstin Reimers 1,*, Karolina Boxberger 2, Steffen C. E. Schmidt 3, Claudia Niessner 3, Yolanda Demetriou 4, Isabel Marzi 1 and Alexander Woll 3
1
Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Gebbertstrasse 123b, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
2
Institute of Human Movement Science and Health, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Chemnitz University of Technology, Straße der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
3
Institute of Sports and Sports Science (IfSS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
4
Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 80992 Munich, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Children 2019, 6(10), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/children6100115
Received: 5 September 2019 / Revised: 8 October 2019 / Accepted: 12 October 2019 / Published: 17 October 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Global and Public Health)
Physical activity during early childhood is a prerequisite for healthy development in many cases. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships of social modelling and support from parents, peers, and siblings and domain-specific physical activity participation in a nationwide sample of preschool boys and girls from Germany. 519 preschool children aged 4–6 and one of their parents participated in the ‘MoMo’ Wave 1 Study between 2009 and 2012. Participants and their parents provided self-reported data on social support modelling, and domain-specific physical activity participation (physical activity in sports clubs, physical activity outside of sports clubs, and outdoor play). Parental, peer, and sibling support and modelling were related to domain-specific physical activity: Parental support was particularly relevant for physical activity in sports clubs, and peer support for outdoor play. Parental modelling was only related to physical activity outside of sports clubs: Maternal modelling was a positive correlate in girls and paternal modelling in boys, respectively. Sibling and peer modelling were especially relevant for physical activity in sports clubs. The results were heterogeneous regarding types and providers of support and modelling. Thus, different providers and types of support should be targeted in physical activity promotion programs for preschool children.
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Keywords:
exercise; child; parents; social environment; Germany; child care
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Reimers, A.K.; Boxberger, K.; Schmidt, S.C.E.; Niessner, C.; Demetriou, Y.; Marzi, I.; Woll, A. Social Support and Modelling in Relation to Physical Activity Participation and Outdoor Play in Preschool Children. Children 2019, 6, 115.
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