Parents’ Perceptions and Engagement Regarding School-Based Physical Activity Promotion

Purpose: This study examined parents’ perceived importance of, and engagement in, school-based physical activity (PA) promotion. Design: A cross-sectional, quantitative survey design was employed. Setting: The survey was conducted in the United States. Subjects: Using a probability-based panel (AmeriSpeak®), a national sample of 3599 parents was randomly recruited to participate in the survey and 1015 participants (28.2%) completed it. Parents or legal guardians of children enrolled in K-12 during the 2017-2018 school year were eligible to participate. Measures: The survey was developed and distributed by a national collaborative for active schools with the support of a national research center. Analysis: Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and path analysis. Results: The data supported a 6-factor solution encompassing perceived importance of PA before, during, and after school, communication with administrators, and volunteering and participating in school-based PA (CFI = .974, RMSEA = .034, SRMR = .056). Path coefficients from perceived importance of PA before/after school to current (β = .43; 95%CI[.25, .61]) and future communication with administrators (β = .40; 95%CI[.23, .55]) were statistically significant, as were coefficients from perceived importance of PA before/after school to past (β = .60; 95%CI[.35, .83]) and current volunteering/participating in school-based PA (β = .63; 95%CI[.42, .85]). Conclusion: Parents’ perceived importance of school-based PA opportunities before and after school warrants emphasis in future research and advocacy.