Family Lifestyle Patterns as a Factor in Promoting Physical Activity among Children and Youth in Israel

Parents have a significant influence on their children’s lifestyle habits, including physical activity and eating habits, in a way that may reduce obesity and sedentary behavior, which are major concerns for public health. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between: 1) family health habits, 2) physical activity among parents, and 3) eating meals together, and exercise patterns among children.

This was a quantitative cross-sectional study, based on the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey that was conducted in Israel in 2015. The study involved 13,849 children and adolescents in grades 6, 8, 10, 11, and 12. Just over half were female (51%) and 76% were from the Jewish sector.

The survey results indicated that the chance of those children and adolescents who ate family meals with at least one parent exercising for at least 60 minutes per day was 1.4 times more than those who did not report eating family meals together. Mothers who regularly exercised increased their children`s chance of engaging in physical activity by 1.6 times, whereas a physically active father was not associated with physical activity of at least 60 minutes a day among his children.

The framework of the family was found to make a substantial contribution in predicting physical activity habits. Having breakfast and dinner every day with at least one parent was significantly associated with exercising for at least 60 minutes every day. Taking various actions, such as developing and operating intervention programs in cooperation with the parents in the community, could help ensure a healthier future generation.