Changes of children's physical activity from 1st to 4th grade are related to parents' educational level and Family Health Climate: A longitudinal study with primary school-age children

Alexandra Ziegeldorf^1*Christina Niermann²Andreas Speer¹Heike Streicher¹Petra Wagner¹Hagen Wulff¹

• ¹Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
• ²Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Despite the well-known health benefits of physical activity (PA), 81% of adolescents are physically inactive. Studies show that PA decreases with age, but changes vary inter-individually. While some research examines predictors of different change patterns, studies focusing on family environmental factors remain rare. This study investigates the relevance of two family factors—parents’ educational level and the Physical Activity Family Health Climate (FHCPA)—for PA change patterns from first to fourth grade in primary school.Longitudinal data from the KOMPASS(2) study (n = 497) were analyzed. Parents’ education, FHCPA, and children's PA (overall and in organized sports) were assessed via parent questionnaires. Four change patterns were formed for each PA domain (grade 1 to 4): (1) continuously low engagement, (2) increasing engagement, (3) declining engagement, and (4) consistently high engagement. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression.More than half of the children (53.5%) showed the pattern "continuously insufficient PA," with a higher proportion of girls. For organized sport, the most frequent pattern was "continuous participation" (56.1%). Overall PA patterns varied by parental education and child sex: girls and children with highly educated mothers were more likely to be continuously inactive. In contrast, organized sport patterns were linked to both parental education and FHCPA: children with more educated parents and a higher FHCPA score were less likely to be inactive in organized sport.This study highlights the importance of distinguishing between types of PA, as different predictors emerged for overall PA versus organized sport. It is the first to examine PA change patterns specifically during primary school and supports earlier findings of an early decline in activity. The results suggest that the transition into the educational system may be a key period for early interventions.