Parents' Physical Activity, Socioeconomic Status and Education as Predictors of Physical Activity and Sport among Children and Youths - A 12-Year Follow-Up Study

The purpose of this study was to examine parental influences on children's participation in sport and their later physical activity. The population for the study consisted of a random sample of 1881 9- to 15-year-old boys and girls who were exposed to the extensive research program called "Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns" in 1980. They and their parents have been followed up for twelve years at three-year intervals by means of a short questionnaire concerning physical activity and other factors. The results indicated that the fathers' physical activity in 1980 was related to their children's habitual physical activity in the same year, and gave in boys and girls a significant prediction…