Physical activity (PA) is the most important activity for children in terms of their health and well-being, influencing their physical, emotional, and social development. Despite this, only 25% of U.S. children meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), with even fewer girls meeting this target.
The most vulnerable group of participants is Latina pre-teen girls, with the lowest PA levels compared to males. Family-level influences, specifically parental support, are key drivers of children’s PA. This study examines the impact of father support on PA among Latina pre-teen girls using data from the Conmigo study, a pilot trial to encourage mother-daughter PA.
The Conmigo study, conducted between 2020 and 2022, included mother-daughter dyads recruited from predominantly Latino communities in San Diego. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 12-week intervention was adapted for virtual delivery. This cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from the study to focus on father support for daughters’ PA, measured by a 5-item scale that assessed emotional support, companionship, instrumental support, validation, and informational support.
Daughters’ MVPA was measured by actigraph accelerometers for at least three days, with a minimum of 10 hours of daily wear. Other variables were daughters’ BMI z-scores (zBMI), age, household income, levels of acculturation, and maternal support for PA. The association between father support and daughters’ MVPA was assessed using linear regression models with zBMI as a potential moderator. There were 49 participants in the sample, and all analyses were done using STATA SE software.
The average age of participants was 9.8 years; nearly half lived in households earning over $3,001 monthly. Most daughters identified as Mexican/Mexican American and exhibited high levels of acculturation, where the primary language was English. According to accelerometer data, participants averaged 23 minutes of MVPA daily, with 53% having a healthy weight and 47% being overweight or obese. Fathers provided slightly above-average support for their daughters’ PA, with a mean support score of 2.3 on a scale of 0 to 4.
Father support was strongly associated with MVPA (b-range = 0.07 to 0.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.02, 0.13) after adjusting for age, income, acculturation, and maternal support. However, the relationship became nonsignificant when zBMI was included (b = 0.06, 95% CI: −0.01, 0.11). The interaction model showed a strong positive association between father support and MVPA among healthy-weight girls, but not among overweight or obese girls (b = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.27, 2.68; b = 0.95, 95% CI: −0.38, 2.28).
Exploratory factor analysis provided evidence of a strong factor structure within the support scale, demonstrating that measurement reliability was robust. Linear regression analyses indicated that father support is positively related to daughters’ MVPA among girls with a healthy weight but not for girls with either overweight or obesity, suggesting that weight status moderates the effect of paternal support for PA.
The results underscore the importance of fathers in promoting PA among Latina pre-teen girls, especially those who are a healthy weight. The findings also reveal that father support has different effects on PA according to daughters’ weight status, suggesting that for overweight/obese girls, other factors may outweigh the impact of paternal support and require interventions targeted at these specific barriers.
This study contributes to the limited research on paternal influences in Latino families and underscores the need for culturally relevant, family-based interventions targeting fathers. Future research should explore the longitudinal effects of father-daughter dynamics on PA and assess intervention strategies that address weight-related disparities.
In conclusion, support for PA from fathers holds much promise in the promotion of healthful lifestyles among Latina youth. Because long-term benefits have been established for PA during childhood, empowering fathers to spend time with their daughters may hold a crucial place in reducing adult obesity risk and improving cardiovascular health.
Reference: Formagini T, Behar AI, Schneider J, et al. The association between father support and daughter physical activity: Insights from a study involving U.S. Latina pre-teens. Am J Health Promot. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/08901171251315022
