Kids aren't 'just naturally active,' according to University of Cambridge researchers, who found a relationship between the activity levels of mothers and their preschool-aged children. Nearly half of the 554 mothers in the study did not get more than 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week
physically active are more likely to have children who are physically active, but a new University of Cambridge-led study is the first to indicate a direct link between the activity level of a mother and that of her child.
The study analyzed the physical activity levels of 554 mothers and
preschoolers, using activity monitors that were attached to participants
and worn continuously to ensure accurate data. The mothers and children
were monitored all day for up to seven days.
Research found that how active the mother was each day was closely
linked to the activity level of the child. Yet the activity level of the
mothers overall was quite low, with only 53% of mothers performing at
least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity at least once
a week.
The study shows that children aren't "just naturally active" and take
cues from their parents in regards to physical activity and other
measures that make up a healthy lifestyle.
"We saw a direct, positive association between physical activity in
children and their mothers - the more activity a mother did, the more
active her child. Although it is not possible to tell from this study
whether active children were making their mothers run around after them,
it is likely that activity in one of the pair influences activity in
the other," said study leader Kathryn Hesketh (formerly of Cambridge and
now University College London).
"For every minute of moderate-to-vigorous activity a mother engaged in,
her child was more likely to engage in 10% more of the same level of
activity. If a mother was one hour less sedentary per day, her child may
have spent 10 minutes less sedentary per day. Such small
minute-by-minute differences may therefore represent a non-trivial
amount of activity over the course of a week, month and year."
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.
