Relationships between Home Environment Factors and Parental Report of Diet Quality,Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviours in 4-5 year olds: A Cross-sectional Study

Objective: This study assessed home environment (HE) factors associated with diet quality and meeting physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) National Guidelines among a sample of pre-school children. Design: Analysis of cross sectional baseline data of a community- based study collected 2011-13. Setting: Twenty geographically bounded metropolitan/regional South Australian communities. Participants: Parents (n=1790) of children aged 4-5 years from participating pre-schools in selected communities. Variables measured: Parent-reported child food intake (fruit, vegetables, milk, non-core foods), eating behaviours, home environment factors (parental knowledge/ modelling, family practices, and availability of equipment /electronic media). Analysis: Linear regression model examined child diet quality and home environment. Logistic regression examined associations between HE and meeting PA and SB guidelines. Results: HE was a significant predictor of child dietary score, with a higher (more health promoting) score positively associated with an increased healthy diet score (ß=0.44; p <0.001). Children whose parents had a university degree, knew recommendations and were active were more likely to meet PA guidelines. Children whose parents knew the recommendations, were active and in homes where the TV was not left on frequently/all the time were more likely to meet SB guidelines. Conclusions and Implications: Targeting HE factors through family-based interventions may help improve lifestyle behaviours for pre-schoolers.