How to promote positive physical activity behaviour in parents and their preschool-aged children: using cohort data to inform interventions. (360G-Wellcome-107337_Z_15_Z)

Physical activity is beneficial for adults and children alike, yet activity levels decrease throughout childhood into adulthood. Parents of preschool-aged children are at particularly high risk of insufficient activity, and their activity levels are associated with those of their young children. Low activity levels may therefore be detrimental to parents' and their child's health. Understanding what influences physical activity in these groups is important to determine who and what influences ch ange in activity, and when, to develop successful interventions to promote higher activity levels in preschoolers and their parents. This fellowship aims to establish determinants of change in activity in parents and their young children. First I will synthesize evidence of determinants and mechanisms of change from existing family-based interventions (phase 1). This will inform subsequent analyses of objectively measured physical activity data from UK and US cohort studies which aims to de termine: what individual, social and environmental factors are associated with change in activity in mothers (phase 2) and preschool-aged children (phase 3), and how maternal-child physical activity is associated over time (phase 4). This will provide important new information to aid development of population health interventions to positively impact the activity levels and subsequent health of families.