title: Parental modeling, education and children's sports and TV time: the ENERGY-project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed whether differences in children's sports participation and television time according to parental education were mediated by parental modeling. Moreover, we explored the differences between parental and child reports on parental sports participation and television time as potential mediators.
  
  
  METHODS
  5729 children and 5183 parents participating in the EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth (ENERGY-project) during 2010 in seven European countries provided information on sports participation and television time using validated self-report questionnaires. Multilevel country-specific mediation models analyzed the potential mediation effect of parental self-reports and child-reports on parental sports participation and television time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant mediation effect was found for parental self-reported television time in four countries (Greece, Hungary, The Netherlands and Slovenia), with the highest proportion for Slovenia (40%) and the lowest for Greece (21%). Child-reported parental television time showed mediation effect in Greece only. Parental self-reported sports participation showed significant mediation effect only in Greece. With child-reported parental sports participation, significant mediation was observed in Greece and Norway.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental behaviors appear to be important in explaining parental educational differences in children's sports participation and television time. However, child reports on parental behavior appear to be more relevant than parents' self-reports as correlates of children's own sports participation and television time.
authors.affiliation: EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fernández-Alvira
authors.affiliation: EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: s.tevelde@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: Saskia J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Te Velde
authors.affiliation: EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Amika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain; GALENO Research Group, Department of Physical Education, Univeristy of Cadiz, Puerto Real, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Pavón
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Bourdeaudhuij
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Sport and Nutrition, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
authors.forename: Elling
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bere
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manios
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Pecs University, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kovacs
authors.affiliation: Slovenian Heart Foundation, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Nataša
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.affiliation: GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brug
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004777:Environment; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D010465:Perception; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D057566:Self Report; D012923:Social Class; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: ENERGY; Mediation analysis; Parental education; Parental modeling; Sports; TV time