MARITAL STATUS, MONTHLY INCOME AND BMI OF PARENTS: IMPACTS ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SCREEN TIME AND ANTHROPOMETRY OF CHILDREN

Abstract

Childhood obesity has been one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Likewise, day-to-day behaviors such screen time and physical activity of children can be influenced by parents. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of marital status, monthly income and parents’ BMI on physical activity, screen time and anthropometry of their children. The research was carried out with 723 children, being 397 (55.0%) girls and 325 (45.0%) boys, from three private schools and three public schools  of Petrolina-PE. Participants' parents/guardians answered questions related to the parents' profile, physical activity and screen time of their children. In addition, the students were evaluated regarding anthropometric measurements of body mass, height and waist circumference. Data were analyzed using Chi-Square and Odds Ratio tests. The software used was SPSS version 23.0 and the significance level adopted was p<0.05. The results found revealed that children of single parents participated less in organized physical activities. Furthermore, children of parents with higher monthly income had more screen time on weekends and participated more in organized physical activities when compared to children of parents with lower income. Finally, children of overweight and obese parents had higher chances of presenting increased BMI and waist circumference and participated less in organized physical activities. It is concluded that parents' marital status, monthly income and BMI influence their children's day-to-day behavior, especially with regard to physical activity, screen time and anthropometric variables.