The relationship between physical activity level of parents and that of their adolescent children

Background: Intergenerational transmission, which refers to the similarity between parent and their children, is a possible explanation of adolescent physical activity (PA). However, only a few existing studies explore the relationship of parent–adolescent PA in East Asian countries. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of parent–adolescent PA using a nationally representative data in Korea with a large sample size. Methods: Data were collected from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 2010 to 2014. The authors performed a linear mixed effects regression analysis with 1342 cases after using log conversion of parent and adolescent moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) levels. Results: In the study, the median MVPA of adolescents was 150 (interquartile range: 360) minutes per week. Adolescent MVPA levels were significantly correlated with their mother’s MVPA (β = 0.055, P = .02). Similar findings of greater association in girls and younger adolescents (age: 13–15 y) were found in subgroup analysis (girls: β = 0.073, P = .05; younger adolescents: β = 0.103, P = .001). Conclusion: Increasing maternal PA levels could stimulate their adolescent’s PA levels. Therefore, intervention at the family level may lead to an increase in adolescent PA levels.