Associations between parents' and 12-year-old children's sport and vigorous activity: the role of self-esteem and athletic competence.

BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to investigate parent-child physical activity (PA) associations and whether children's self-esteem or athletic competence mediates such associations. METHODS The study population comprised 1124 12-year-old children and their parents. Parents' PA was assessed using the Baecke questionnaire and a question about sport participation. Children's PA was assessed by questions about participation in sport and vigorous activities. The children's self-esteem and athletic competence were assessed by Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. RESULTS Parents' PA was strongly associated with their children's PA. With 2 active parents, the odds ratio for their children to participate in sport was 3.9 (95% CI = 2.2-6.9, girls) and 8.8 (95% CI = 4.3-18.0, boys) compared with having inactive parents. Athletic competence partly mediated these associations. CONCLUSIONS The family is an important target for interventions to increase PA among children, and it might be important to consider ways to reinforce children's athletic competence.