1Towson University, Department of Kinesiology, Towson, MD, USA
Fathers – An Untapped Resource for Increasing Physical Activity among African American Girls
Monten. J. Sports Sci. Med. 2019, 8(1), 23-28 | DOI: 10.26773/mjssm.190304
Abstract
African American girls’ physical activity significantly declines during adolescence. Single mothers are raising many African American girls. Research on the benefits of fathers’ involvement on physical activity is minimal, especially regarding girls. The current study examines the impact that fathers’ involvement and family structure have on physical activity behaviours among African American adolescent girls (n=40). Data were collected via a demographic questionnaire, a father involvement scale, and a leisure time exercise instrument. Data were analysed via descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. African American girls’ physical activity habits are positively associated with involved fathers. Girls reporting high father involvement had higher rates of physical activity than girls reporting low father involvement did. Girls from two-parent families had higher physical activity rates than girls in single-parent households, but these findings were non-significant. Fathers being actively engaged in physical activities was a significant predictor of physical activity among the study population. Fathers demonstrating nurturing and participatory behaviours, irrespective of residential or biological status, may be instrumental in promoting physical activity among African American adolescent girls. Physical activity programming targeting African American girls should include fathers and other male figures, as they may be instrumental in keeping African American girls physically active.
Keywords
parental involvement, exercise, African American families, health promotion
View full article
(PDF – 107KB)
References
Alleyne-Green, B., Grinnell-Davis, C., Clark, T. T., & Cryer-Coupet, Q. R. (2015). The role of fathers in reducing dating violence victimization and sexual risk behaviors among a national sample of Black adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 55, 48-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.04.005
American Heart Association. Statistical Fact Sheet 2013 Update. (2013). Physical Inactivity Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heartpublic/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319589.pdf
Barr-Anderson, D.J., Adams-Wynn, A.W., Alhassan, S., et al. (2014). Culturally-appropriate, family- and community- based physical activity and healthy eating intervention for African-American middle school-aged girls: A feasibility pilot. Journal of Adolescent and Family Health 6(2): Article 6.
Beets, M. W., & Foley, J. T. (2008). Association of Father Involvement and Neighborhood Quality with Kindergartners’ Physical Activity: A Multilevel Structural Equation Model. American Journal of Health Promotion, 22(3), 195-203.
Bramlett, M.D., & Blumber, S.J. (2007). Family structure and children’s physical and mental health. Health Affair, 26(2): 549-558.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012). Division of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/index.html (accessed date is unknown).
Coley, R. L. (2003). Daughter-father relationships and adolescent psychosocial functioning in low-income African American families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 867-875.
Cooksey, E.C., & Craig, P.H. (1998). Parenting from a distance: The effects of paternal characteristics on contact between nonresidential fathers and their children. Demography 35(2): 187-200.
Cooper, S.M. (2009). Associations between father-daughter relationship quality and the academic engagement of African American adolescent girls: Self-esteem as a mediator? Journal of Black Psychology, 35(4): 495-516.
Day, R., & Lamb, M. (2004). Conceptualizing and Measuring Father Involvement. Mahwah, NJ: Routledge.
Davison, K. K., Cutting, T. M., & Birch, L. L. (2003). Parents’ activity-related parenting practices predict girls’ physical activity. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(9), 1589-1595. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000084524.19408.0C
Drenowatz, C., Eisenmann, J.C., Pfeiffer, K.A., et al. (2010). Influence of socio-economic status on habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior in 8- to 11-year old children. BMC Public Health, 10, 214.
Ellis, K.R., Caldwell, C.H., Assari, S., et al. (2014). Nonresident African American fathers’ influence on sons’ exercise intentions in the fathers and sons program. The Science of Lifestyle Change, 29(2): 89-98.
Fagan, J., & Palkovitz, R. (2007). Unmarried, nonresident fathers’ involvement with their infants: A risk and resilience perspective. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(3): 479-489.
Finley, G.E., & Schwartz, S.J. (2004). The father involvement and nurturant fathering scales: Retrospective measures for adolescent and adult children. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64(1): 143-164.
Godin, G., & Shephard, R.J. (1985). A simple method to assess exercise behavior in the community. Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 10, 141-146.
Jia, H., & Lubetikin, E.I. (2014). Comparing quality-adjusted life expectancy at different levels of physical activity. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 11, 278-284.
Kimm, S., Glynn, N., Kriska, A., et al. (2002). Decline in physical activity in African American girls and white girls during adolescence. The New England Journal of Medicine, 347(10): 709-715.
Leavell, A., Tamis-LeMonda, C., Ruble, D., Zosuls, K., & Cabrera, N. (2012). African American, White and Latino Fathers’ Activities with their Sons and Daughters in Early Childhood. Sex Roles, 66(1-2), 53-65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-0080-8
Lucas, N., Nicholson, J.M., & Erbas, B. (2013). Child mental health after parental separation: The impact of resident/non-resident parenting, parent mental health, conflict and socioeconomics. Journal of Family Studies, 19(1): 53-69.
McDougal, I. I. I. S., Durnell, E., & Dlamini, P. Z. (2018). Social father presence: The experience of being raised by Black social fathers. Journal of Pan African Studies, 11(6), 1-23.
Peterson, S.H. (2007). The importance of fathers: Contextualizing sexual risk-taking in “low-risk” African American adolescent girls. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 15, (2/3), 329-346.
Pew Research Center (2015). Parenting in America: Outlook, worries, aspirations are strongly linked to financial situation. Available at: www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-family-today/ Retrieved July 17, 2017.
Ransdell, L.B., Delting, N.J., Taylor, A., & Reel, J., Barry, S. (2004). Effects of home- and university based programs on physical self-perception in mothers and daughters. Women and Health, 39(2): 63-81.
Raudsepp, L, & Viira, R. (2000). Influence of parents’ and siblings’ physical activity on activity levels of adolescents. European Journal of Physical Education, 5, 169-178.
Sallis, J. F., Haskell, W. L., & Wood, P. D., Fortmann, S. P., Rogers, T., Blair, S. N, & Paffenbarger, R. (1985). Physical activity assessment methodology in the Five-City Project. American Journal of Epidemiology, 121(1), 91-106.
Sukys, S., Majauskiene, D., Cesnaitiene, V.J., et al. (2014). Do parents’ exercise habits predict 13-18-year-old adolescents’ involvement in sport? Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 13, 522-528.
United States Department of Health and Human Services/Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Physical Activity Guidelines for America, Retrieved from https://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/
Waller, M.R., & Swisher, R. (2006). Fathers’ risk factors in fragile families: Implications for “healthy” relationships and father involvement. Social Problems, 53(3): 392-420.
Zahra, J., Sebire, S.J., & Jago, R. (2015). “He’s probably more Mr. Sport than me”: A qualitative exploration of mothers’ perceptions of fathers’ role in their children’s physical activity. BMC Pediatrics 15(1): 1-9.