Moderate and vigorous physical activity show intensity specific familial and interpersonal association patterns in 9–12-year-olds: A cross-sectional DE-PASS study

Research on children’s physical activity often examines interpersonal associations but commonly aggregates MPA and VPA into a single MVPA outcome. This approach may obscure intensity-specific association patterns, particularly in intergenerational analyses.

This cross-sectional study used harmonized data from the European DE-PASS project, including children aged 9–12 years and one of their parents. Waist-worn accelerometry was used to assess MPA and VPA. Perceived parental, peer, and teacher support were measured using validated questionnaires. Intensity-specific associations between parent and child physical activity and between interpersonal support variables and children’s activity were examined, including sex-stratified and socioeconomic sensitivity analyses.

Parent–child associations differed by activity intensity. Parent–child resemblance was numerically larger for MPA than for VPA, although the difference between intensities was not statistically significant when formally compared; associations involving VPA were weaker and less consistent. Parental co-participation support showed a weak positive association (which did not survive correction for multiple testing) with children’s MPA, whereas peer and teacher support showed limited or no associations with children’s activity at either intensity. Sex-stratified analyses indicated similar MPA associations across boys and girls, while associations for VPA were not observed among girls. Aggregating MPA and VPA into MVPA may obscure these intensity-specific patterns.

These findings indicate that interpersonal associations with children’s physical activity differ by intensity and support examining MPA and VPA as intensity-specific outcomes in intergenerational analyses. Family-based approaches focusing on MPA may represent a pausible direction for future longitudinal and intervention research, while different strategies may be needed to address VPA.

This study looked at how parents, friends, and teachers might influence how active children aged 9 to 12 are in their daily lives. Physical activity is very important for children’s growth and health. Doctors and health organizations recommend at least an hour of activity each day, yet most children around the world are not reaching this level. Being active helps children control their weight, strengthen their bones and muscles, and reduce the risk of health problems later in life.

Researchers in Belgium, Czechia, and Ireland asked 181 families to take part. Both children and their parents wore activity trackers for eight days to measure how much moderate activity (like walking or playing outside) and vigorous activity (like running or sports) they did. Children also filled in questionnaires about how much support children felt from parents, friends, and teachers.

The results showed that children were more active when their parents were active, especially for moderate activities. For example, if parents often walked or cycled, children were more likely to do the same. Vigorous activity, such as sports, showed weaker links to parents’ behaviour and was only slightly connected to friends’ encouragement. Teacher support was not found to make a difference in this study.

These findings suggest that the best way to help children be more active is through family involvement, especially when parents take part in activities with their children. Friends’ influence may become more important as children get older, but for this age group, parents are the strongest role models. This knowledge can help shape programs that aim to get children moving more often and more effectively.