When gender matters: How parents help their children meet the 24-hour movement behavior guidelines

Background Family is important for the support and promotion of healthy movement behaviors of children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the roles of mothers and fathers in supporting their young children to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on 24-hour movement behavior (24hMB), based on accelerometer data from the daily lives of both parents and their families. Methods The 24-hour movement behavior (24hMB) of 217 family triads was continuously monitored over a 7-day period using ActiGraph accelerometers placed on the non-dominant wrist of each participant. Children's compliance with the WHO 24hMB guidelines (sleep, sedentary behavior, physical activity) was analyzed using backward logistic regression analysis separately for the daughter-mother-father and son-mother-father models. Results Without significant gender differences, 25.2% _DAUGHTERS and 26.7% _SONS (or 71.7% _DAUGHTERS and 78.1% _SONS ) met all 3 (or a combination of ≥ 2) 24hMB guidelines, although the contributions of mothers and fathers differed. For daughters only, fathers' overweight/obesity significantly reduced the chances of achieving the recommended amount of sedentary behavior/a combination of ≥ 2 24hMB guidelines (p = 0.03/0.003). Mother's overweight/obesity significantly reduced the odds ratio of meeting the recommended amount of sedentary behavior for both daughters/sons (p = 0.04/0.002), achieving the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in daughters (p = 0.03), and meeting a combination of ≥ 2 24hMB guidelines in sons (p = 0.03). Maternal university education significantly contributed to achieving the recommended sedentary behavior in both daughters/sons (p = 0.03/0.02) and to fulfilling a combination of ≥ 2 24hMB guidelines in daughters (p = 0.04). Conclusions Mothers are more proactive than fathers in helping both daughters and sons achieve each of the WHO 24hMB guidelines. The role of mothers is indispensable in shaping their offspring's daily health-promoting 24hMB.