ArticleJournal of physical activity & health2015
Understanding the Accuracy of Parental Perceptions of Child Physical Activity: A Mixed Methods Analysis.
Article in Journal of physical activity & health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Ability or luck: A systematic review of interpersonal attributions of success.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Discrepancies in reporting lifestyle and dietary habits by children and parents and their association with anthropometric parameters in 10-12-year-old Polish students: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Parental Perspectives on the Use of Smartwatch Activity Trackers by Young Children: Qualitative Study.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- 'You just eyeball it': Parent and nursery staff perceptions and influences on child portion size: A reflexive thematic analysis.Nutrition and health · 2025Article
- Time and Location: Physical Activity Trends in Parents and Children in a Rural Region During COVID-19.Journal of Appalachian health · 2025Article
- Enhancing physical activity levels in 9-11-year-old children of varied genders: strategies leveraging parental exercise consciousness.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Direct Parent Engagement to Improve Fundamental Movement Skills in Children: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Neighborhood and Family Characteristics Associated with Adiposity and Physical Activity Engagement among Preschoolers in a Small Rural Community.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Parents accurately perceive problematic eating behaviors but overestimate physical activity levels in preschool children.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2021Article
- The Feasibility and Challenges of Conducting Online Research to Examine Movement Behavior in Parents and Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- "In my day…"- Parents' Views on Children's Physical Activity and Screen Viewing in Relation to Their Own Childhood.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Article
- "My Tummy Tells Me" Cognitions, Barriers and Supports of Parents and School-Age Children for Appropriate Portion Sizes.Nutrients · 2018Article
- Examining the challenges posed to parents by the contemporary screen environments of children: a qualitative investigation.BMC pediatrics · 2018Article
- Roles of mothers and fathers in supporting child physical activity: a cross-sectional mixed-methods study.BMJ open · 2018Article
- How parents perceive screen viewing in their 5-6 year old child within the context of their own screen viewing time: a mixed-methods study.BMC public health · 2017Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInterventions to increase children's physical activity (PA) have achieved limited success. This may be attributed to inaccurate parental perceptions of their children's PA and a lack of recognition of a need to change activity levels.
methodsFifty-three parents participated in semistructured interviews to determine perceptions of child PA. Perceptions were compared with children's measured MVPA (classified as meeting or not meeting UK guidelines) to produce 3 categories: "accurate," "over-estimate," and "under-estimate." Deductive content analysis was performed to understand the accuracy of parental perceptions.
resultsAll parents of children meeting the PA guidelines accurately perceived their child's PA; while the majority of parents whose child did not meet the guidelines overestimated their PA. Most parents were unconcerned about their child's PA level, viewing them as naturally active and willing to be active. Qualitative explanations for perceptions of insufficient activity included children having health problems and preferences for inactive pursuits, and parents having difficulty facilitating PA in poor weather and not always observing their child's PA level. Social comparisons also influenced parental perceptions.
conclusionsStrategies to improve parental awareness of child PA are needed. Perceptions of child PA may be informed by child "busyness," being unaware of activity levels, and social comparisons.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.