Parents Are a Major Factor in How Active Their Children Are

In a study published on June 21st this year researchers at the Oregon State University have found a link between different parenting styles and the sedentary behaviour of their children. In general children have become increasingly sedentary which is not just a problem of new media. Instead parents are a major factor in this problem. The parents were grouped into one for four parenting styles: authoritarian (high warmth and control), authoritative (controlling, less warm), permissive (warm, low control), and neglectful (low control and warmth). The less time a parent spends with their child at home the more screen time, for example spend in front of a TV or playing a video game, a child gets. This increases the amount of time a child from age two to four spends sitting from four to five hours by about 30 minutes. Parents who were less participatory during the week did little to engage their children during the weekend. Instead the sitting time increased even more, to nearly one hour per day. As the lead author of the study, David Schary, said: "A half an hour each day may not seem like much, but add that up over a week, then a month, and then a year and you have a big impact." Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120621130724.htm