Correlates of Parental Support of Child and Youth Physical Activity: a Systematic Review

Background Regular physical activity (PA) is important to the health of children and tracks to positive health profiles in adulthood. Parental support of child and youth PA is a key determinant of subsequent behavior, yet the correlates of parental support behaviors are poorly understood. The purpose of this paper was to review and appraise current evidence on the correlates of parental support of child and youth PA as well as describe the measures used to assess parental support. Method Literature searches were conducted in September 2019 using ten common databases. Studies included published articles in peer-reviewed journals written in the English language that assessed correlates of parental support for child and youth PA using an observational design. Results The initial search yielded 2917 publications, reduced to 22 studies with 19 unique data sets of low-medium quality that met inclusion criteria. Twenty potential correlates had sufficient information for appraisal. Of these, there was evidence that child age (negative association with support), parental social cognitions about support (positive relationship), and neighborhood safety (positive relationship) were reliable correlates. Parental support measurement was extremely varied, yet encouragement, logistical support, and co-participation activity were common elements across most of the measures. Conclusion Parental support interventions should target both children and youth and may benefit from continued focus on cognitive-behavioral approaches and parental perceptions of safety risk. Additional research on the inter-personal, environmental, and programmatic correlates of parental support is advised, given the paucity of contemporary research.