Low-income Fathers’ and Mothers’ Routine Physical Activity Relates to Infant’s Acquisition of Locomotive Skills

• In Event: The Ecology of Infant Motor Development: Diversity and Dynamics

Abstract

Motor development in infancy is shaped by a combination of environmental, organismic, physiological, and genetic factors(Cintas, 1995; Adolph, Karasik, & Tamis-LeMonda, 2009). Among all experiential factors, parents play a significant role in constructing the learning environment for infants. However, this relation is hardly studied in infants, especially in low income, ethnically minority families.

This study uses rich interview data from 100 low-income fathers and mothers in the U.S. (household income < $70,000, 60% Hispanic, 20% Black, 8% White, 12% Other) to document the variation in infants’ motor skill acquisition, routine physical activity provided by both mothers and fathers, and to examine how mothers and fathers each contribute to the trajectories of infant motor development. Both parents were interviewed when the infant turned 9 months of age and reported the type, frequency and amount of physical activity in which they engaged their infant. When the infant turned 21 months, the primary caregiver was interviewed again about the ages (in months) at which the infant acquired specific motor skills such as crawling, standing, and walking. Parents reported an average of 8.2 (SD = 1.42) on a scale of 0-10, indicating a feeling of confidence in the age onsets.

The routine physical activity scale measures how often the parent (1) “takes the child outside the house” and (2) “encourages exploration with objects”. Generally fathers and mothers did not differ in the frequency of these physical activities they engage their child. However, 32% of fathers reported taking their child outside, compared to only 14% of mothers. Paired sample t-test also showed that the frequency was significantly higher for fathers than the mothers, t(21)=2.64, p=.03. The role of the amount of physical activity on motor skills acquisition will also be included in the presentation.

Table 1 summarizes some preliminary results: (1) the majority of mothers reported that their infants skipped belly crawling (56%), a common mode to start prone progression, and started walking independently at about 13 months; (2) earlier acquisition of locomotive skills such as standing transfers to later locomotive skills such as walking; (3) our low-income fathers and mothers reported similar moderate frequency of physical activity providing opportunities for early motor development; and (4) paternal reports of physical activity was significantly related to onset of walking (maternal reports) whereas maternal report of physical activity was significantly related to onset of standing (maternal reports).

Taken together, these findings have implications for understanding the variation and dynamics in motor development in infants, as well as fathers’ and mothers’ roles in motor skill acquisition.

Authors

• Minxuan He, Mount Saint Mary’s University
  Presenting Author

• Natasha J Cabrera, University of Maryland - College Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie M Reich, University of California - Irvine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jone Renteria-Aguirregabiria, University of Maryland, College Park
  Non-Presenting Author

• Denise I Alvarez, University of California, Irvine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Songholi Enwezoh, University of Maryland, College Park
  Non-Presenting Author