Parent Perspectives on Nutrition and Physical Activity During Out-of-School Time

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education and behavior Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 156 - 163
• Main Authors: Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie, PhD, Newman, Molly B., MS, RD, Angstrom, Heather M., MS, Sharma, Shanti, PhD, Nelson, Miriam E., PhD, Dolan, Peter R., MBA, Economos, Christina D., PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2014; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Beverages; childhood obesity; Children & youth; Exercise; Exercise - psychology; Feeding Behavior - psychology; Female; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health promotion; Humans; Internal Medicine; Leisure Activities; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Nutrition Surveys; Nutritional Status; Obesity; out-of-school time; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; parents; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; physical activity; Regression analysis; Students; nutrition; out-of-school time; childhood obesity; physical activity; parents
• ISSN: 1499-4046; 1878-2620; 1708-8259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2013.09.011

Abstract Objective Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve a large, diverse population of children, including those at increased obesity risk. In this study, parents' perspectives about nutrition and physical activity (PA) during OST were assessed. Design Survey. Setting Online. Participants Six hundred parents with a school-aged child participating in programs from selected OST organizations. Main Outcome Measures Parent perspectives about the importance and availability of different foods, beverages, and PA opportunities during OST, and OST program and parent involvement in promoting healthful environments. Analysis Frequencies were used to describe parents' perspectives. Wilcoxon tests and logistic regression analyses were conducted to test for significant differences. Results Most parents reported that it was important that their children have water (96.2%), fresh fruits and vegetables (79.0%), and PA (97.2%) during OST; fewer parents reported that these were regularly available. About two thirds of parents agreed that OST programs should promote healthy environments for children, whereas one third agreed that parents alone should be responsible for children's nutrition and PA. Conclusions and Implications Results suggest that many parents would support efforts to improve OST nutrition and PA. Yet, there is a need to further understand the perceptions and motivations of different subgroups to enact successful obesity prevention efforts during OST.