Mothers of younger or multiple children may engage in less physical activity

Mothers of younger or multiple children may engage in less physical activity

A new study examining physical activity patterns among mothers in the UK suggests that mothers of young children and mothers of multiple children may be engaging in less moderate or vigorous physical activity. Rachel Simpson and colleagues from the Medical Research Council Department of Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge, the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Center and the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Center present these results on November 16, 2022 in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

Previous research has shown that parents are less physically active than non-parents, suggesting that parents may be missing out on some of the many health benefits of physical activity. Research on the factors associated with this reduced activity has been limited, although some evidence suggests that mothers' activity patterns may change once their children are old enough to attend school.

To better understand mothers' exercise habits, Simpson and colleagues analyzed data from the Southampton Women's Survey. 848 mothers were asked to wear an accelerometer to track the intensity and duration of their physical activity for up to seven days. The researchers distinguished between general physical activity of any intensity and the more specific category of moderate or vigorous physical activity, which has greater health benefits than light physical activity.

Statistical analysis of the accelerometer data showed differences in physical activity habits between mothers with different numbers of children and mothers of children of different ages.

Mothers of at least one school-age child - that is, one child older than 4 years - tended to engage in more moderate or vigorous physical activity than mothers of only younger children. Mothers of multiple children were less likely to be moderately or vigorously physically active than mothers of only children.

Among mothers with multiple children, those with at least one school-aged child were less physically active overall than mothers with only younger children. Among mothers with at least one younger child, those with more children were more physically active overall.

These results suggest the possibility that certain groups of mothers, particularly mothers of younger children or multiple infants, may derive health benefits from efforts to increase their opportunities for higher-intensity activities. The researchers note that further research is needed to inform the development of such efforts.

The authors add: “We need to find ways to help mothers of younger (under 5 years) or multiple children engage in higher intensity physical activity.”

Source:

PLOS

Reference:

Simpson, R.F., et al. (2022) The Association between Number and Age of Children and the Physical Activity of Mothers: Cross-Sectional Analysis from the Southampton Women’s Survey. PLUS ONE. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276964.

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