Association Between Parental Attitudes Toward Physical Education and Children’s Physical Activity Participation: A Comparison of In-School and Out-of-School Contexts

Introduction: Research has acknowledged the significance of parental attitudes toward physical education; however, their impact on children's participation in physical activities, both within and outside of school settings, has been explored only sporadically.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the association between parental attitudes toward physical education and children’s physical activity participation in in-school and out-of-school contexts.
Methods: This study utilized a comparative-correlational design, focusing on a sample of 239 male children aged between 10 and 13 years. The Physical Education Activity Attitude Scale was employed to evaluate the attitudes of parents towards physical education activities. Accelerometer device was used for measuring physical activity. Regression analysis was conducted for data analysis.
Results: The children in this study participated in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for an average of 19.57 minutes during school. Moreover, the average daily physical activity recorded for the children in this study was 41.04 minutes. Furthermore, the findings reveal a significant positive correlation between parental attitudes toward physical education with in-school physical activity (β=0.386, P<0.001), out-of-school physical activity (β=0.368, P<0.001), and the overall total physical activity (β=0.221, P<0.001).
Conclusion: These results suggest that when parents exhibit a supportive and positive attitude towards physical education, it significantly enhances the physical activity levels of their children, both during school hours and in extracurricular settings. These findings suggest that encouraging parents to model positive attitudes and actively support their children’s physical activity may be one of the most effective strategies for increasing children’s overall participation in physical activity.