Are adults influential role models in children’s physical activity habits? An observational study of the Spanish population

Abstract

Abstract: This study was carried out with the objectives of determining the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Spanish minors; identify the possible relationships between them and PA habits in adults; and explain whether these relationships have socio-economic variables for the sample under study. To achieve them, a cross-sectional observational study was carried out based on data from the last available Spanish National Health Survey (2017), including 7598 surveys answered by adults living in households comprising minors older than 5 years old. The proportion of overweight minors decreases as adults’ educational level is higher. Likewise, the number of underweight children increases slightly along with adults’ increased level of education. In general, minors engage in physical activity more frequently than adults (38.1% of sedentary adults compared to 13.7% of minors) and this frequency increases together with higher adults’ level of education. The results obtained show that Spanish minors tend to replicate the physical-activity-related lifestyles of adults whom they live with. This makes adults the target population to influence primary and secondary prevention health policies with the aim to improve their health and that of children around them.