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Background
Parents' behaviors, practices, beliefs, and attitudes greatly influence children's active play behavior; however, little research has examined these parental influences on preschool children's sedentary behavior (SB).
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between parental influences on preschool SB.
Methods
One hundred eighty-six parents of preschoolers completed an online survey that examined the parents' own physical activity behaviors, parental practices, parental dimensions, and parental orientations. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between active play-related parenting behavior, orientations, and practices with preschool SB during the week and weekend.
Results
During the weekday (β = − 0.46, P < .001) and weekend (β = − 0.48, P < .001), parental control was inversely associated with preschool screen time among boys.
Discussion
The results of this study suggest that parental control is an independent predictor of screen time during the week and weekend for preschool boys. Future research should include sedentary-specific parenting practices and a qualitative methodology component.
Translation to Health Education Practice
If our findings are confirmed by future research, health educators should teach parents how to implement monitoring and control-related parenting practices to minimize preschool SB.