Development of physical activity-related parenting practices scales for Urban Chinese parents of preschoolers: Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability

Yi Nam Suen, Ester Cerin*, Anthony Barnett, Wendy Y J HUANG, Robin R. Mellecker

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: Valid instruments of parenting practices related to children's physical activity (PA) are essential to understand how parents affect preschoolers' PA. This study developed and validated a questionnaire of PA-related parenting practices for Chinese-speaking parents of preschoolers in Hong Kong. Methods: Parents (n = 394) completed a questionnaire developed using fndings from formative qualitative research and literature searches. Test-retest reliability was determined on a subsample (n = 61). Factorial validity was assessed using confrmatory factor analysis. Subscale internal consistency was determined. Results: The scale of parenting practices encouraging PA comprised 2 latent factors: Modeling, structure and participatory engagement in PA (23 items), and Provision of appropriate places for child's PA (4 items). The scale of parenting practices discouraging PA scale encompassed 4 latent factors: Safety concern/overprotection (6 items), Psychological/behavioral control (5 items), Promoting inactivity (4 items), and Promoting screen time (2 items). Test-retest reliabilities were moderate to excellent (0.58 to 0.82), and internal subscale reliabilities were acceptable (0.63 to 0.89). Conclusion: We developed a theory-based questionnaire for assessing PA-related parenting practices among Chinese-speaking parents of Hong Kong preschoolers. While some items were context and culture specifc, many were similar to those previously found in other populations, indicating a degree of construct generalizability across cultures.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)692-700
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Physical Activity and Health
Volume14
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2017

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

User-Defined Keywords

  • Encouragement
  • Exercise
  • Role model
  • Screen time
  • Young children

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