The association between father support and daughter physical activity: Insights from a study involving U.S. Latina pre-teens

Authors: FORMAGINI, TAYNARA - University Of California, San Diego; BEHAR, ALMA - San Diego State University; SCHNEIDER, JENNIFER - San Diego State University; TORRES, MARISA - San Diego State University; TELLES, VICTORIA - San Diego State University; ROESCH, SCOTT - San Diego State University; AYALA, GUADALUPE - San Diego State University; BARANOWSKI, TOM - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC); MARQUEZ, BECKY - University Of California, San Diego; ARREDONDO, ELVA - San Diego State University

Submitted to: American Journal of Health Promotion
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/18/2024
Publication Date: 1/18/2025
Citation: Formagini, T., Behar, A.I., Schneider, J., Torres, M., Telles, V.M., Roesch, S., Ayala, G.X., Baranowski, T., Marquez, B., Arredondo, E.M. 2025. The association between father support and daughter physical activity: Insights from a study involving U.S. Latina pre-teens. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171251315022.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171251315022

Interpretive Summary: Support from the family is crucial for encouraging physical activity (PA) among youth. This study examined the association between Latino father support and their daughter's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), including 60 Latina pre-teen girls aged 8-11 years. Father support was significantly associated with daughter MVPA after adjusting for possible covariates, but became non-significant with the inclusion of body mass index. Thus, these findings indicate a possible association between father support and daughters' MVPA among girls with a healthy weight, but not among girls with overweight or obesity. Further research is needed to understand why this association is not observed among girls with overweight or obesity.

Technical Abstract: Social support, particularly from family, is crucial for physical activity (PA) among youth. Using baseline data from a pilot randomized controlled trial in San Diego County, this study examined the association between father support and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in sixty Latina pre-teens girls (aged 8-11 years) and explored the moderating role of body mass index (BMI). MVPA was measured via accelerometry. An exploratory factor analysis created a composite measure of father support, reported by mothers. Hierarchical linear regression models, adjusting for covariates, assessed the relationship between father support and MVPA. Interaction models tested the moderating effect of BMI z-score (zBMI). Father support was significantly associated with MVPA (b-range=0.07 to 0.08, 95%CI=0.02, 0.13) after adjusting for age, income, acculturation, and maternal support. However, this association became non-significant with the inclusion of zBMI (b=0.06, 95%CI: -0.01, 0.11). The interaction model showed a significant positive association between father support and MVPA among girls with a healthy weight (b=0.27, 95%CI: 0.27, 2.68) but not among those with overweight/obesity (b=0.95, 95%CI: -0.38, 2.28). Our findings indicate a potential association between father support and daughters' MVPA among girls with a healthy weight. Further research is needed to understand why this association is not observed in girls with overweight/obesity.