Scheduled for Psychology/Leisure and Recreation Posters, Thursday, April 11, 2002, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM, San Diego Convention Center: Exhibit Hall


Daughters and Mothers Exercising Together (DAMET): Effects of Home-and University-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Family Relations

Alison Taylor, Lynda Ransdell, Darcie Oakland, Jenny Schmidt, Laurie Moyer-Mileur and Barry B. Shultz, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Parent-child relations may be influenced by personality characteristics, participation in activities, and the environment. One potential influence on parent-child relations that has not been studied is concurrent participation in physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two physical activity programs on family relations. University-based (N=20) and home-based (N=14) mothers (mean age=45.18 + 7.49) and daughters (mean age=15.41 + 1.33) were randomly assigned to participate in a 12-week study. The UB group met three times per week and participated in fitness activities, outdoor activities, and sports. The HB group participated in activities in or near the home. Before and after the study, researchers measured changes in family relations using 2 (group) x 2 (time) repeated measures ANOVAs. Results of mothers and daughters were analyzed separately. The Family Relationship Scale (FRS), administered to the daughters, measured changes in the daughters’ perception of “mom’s caring,” and “mom’s protectiveness.” Ten additional questions, administered to both mothers and daughters, assessed the impact of the intervention on family relations. UB participants attended 77% of the exercise sessions and all individuals remained in the study. HB participants completed 70% of their recommended exercise sessions and 3 pairs dropped out. The majority of mothers agreed that “my relationship with my daughter has improved as a result of participating in physical activity together” (94%), and “compared to others in my family, my daughter provides more encouragement for me to be active” (53%). Most daughters felt that “my relationship with my mother has improved through participating in physical activity together” (88%), and “compared to others in my family, my mother provides more encouragement for me to be active” (89%). Daughters reported no statistically significant changes in their perceptions of “mom’s level of caring” (P=.73) or “mom’s level of protectiveness” (P=.14) as measured by the FRS. Both UB and HB mothers and daughters experienced some positive changes in their relations with each other as a result of participating in the physical activity intervention together. This indicates that both home- and university-based physical activity programs may be viable paradigms in which to improve family relations.
Keyword(s): community-based programs, health promotion, physical activity

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