Kids' activity level mimics moms'

The amount of physical activity mothers engage in is linked to the activity levels of their kids, according to a new study.

The research does not confirm a direct relationship between the two; however, the researchers note, it certainly can't hurt for a child to see an parent active.

"It's a positive thing that maternal physical activity levels can influence the activity level of their child," Kathryn Hesketh told Reuters Health. "If more time is spent moving, then activity can increase in both."

Hesketh's research, in collaboration with the study's lead author Esther van Slujis, expands on previous knowledge that parent and child activity levels are related.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, used devices called accelerometers to track 554 4-year-old children and their mothers for over a week.

Among the children, out of their 14 to 15 waking hours, five of them were spent sitting or standing still while eight were spent doing light physical activity such as walking, and another hour was spent running or doing other moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Among the mothers, only an hour was spent standing still while seven hours each were spent on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

More active mothers appeared to have more active kids. For every single minute of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity that the mother did, her child was more likely to do 10 percent more of a similar level of activity.

According to van Slujis, parents seem to affect their kids' physical activities in three ways: by acting as role models, by helping kids be active and by being active with them. "All three aspects are thought to be important," van Sluijs told HealthDay, "but it has generally been unclear how directly mother and child's physical activity are related."

The child's weight, time spent at school, the day and time of the week and the mother's education level also determined the outcome, researchers add.

The research is important because "better understanding activity patterns in preschool-age children can inform the ways we approach prevention and intervention," said Bernard Fuemmeler, an associate professor and co-director of Duke University Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.