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Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Abstract

Background: Parental exercise frequency (PEF) may be a crucial factor influencing adolescents' physical activity (PA), school social adjustment (SSA), and quality of life (QoL), but it is little known to those relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parental exercise frequency and physical activity, school social adjustment, and quality of life among Chinese adolescents.

Methods: The study randomly selected 26,049 adolescents (age 14.35 ± 1.87), 13,404 males (age 14.29 ± 1.87) and 12,645 females (age 14.42 ± 1.87), from 13 districts in Shandong Province, China. All adolescents completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ), the School Social Behavior Scale (SSBS), and the Quality of Life Scale for Children and Adolescents (QLSCA). Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square tests, ANOVA tests, and multiple linear regression.

Results: The result showed that a high level of education of parents had higher frequency of physical activity, but whether adolescents (male, only children) in boarding school had no significant effect on physical activity. ANOVA illustrated that adolescents, not boarding school, non-smoking, and non-alcoholic drinks, had higher levels of SSA (p < 0.001) and QoL (p < 0.001). In addition, PEF had a significant association with both PA (Father: F(6,26042) = 358.089, p < 0.001; Mother: F(6,26042) = 386.553, p < 0.001) and QoL (Father: F(6,26042) = 419.544, p < 0.001; Mother: F(6,26042) = 401.830, p < 0.001) in adolescents compared to non-exercise participation. Frequency of mother’s exercise had a significant association with adolescents' SSA (F(6,26042) = 414.520, p < 0.001), but fathers' exercise frequency only had a significant association with adolescents' SSA when physical activity is more than two times each week (F(6,26042) = 473.596, p < 0.001). The PA level of adolescents also had a significant association with SSA (β = 0.863, p < 0.05) and QoL (β = 7.141, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The results suggest that we should highlight not only the PA in school setting, but also that of their parents, which is a vital factor for further improving PA and QoL, so that parents exercise participation may be better pathway to promote the association of PA with SSA for adolescents.

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