Health, physical activity and executive functions in 3-5 years old children: Parents’ beliefs

This research aims to investigate parents’ beliefs and practices about physical activities in their children. Questionnaires were administered during a “special physical activity day” in an Italian kindergarten. Survey’s results highlight that parents believe physical activity is very important for their children, although there is evidence of discrepancies between what declared and what put into practice when it comes to physical activities. In spite of parents believing to be competent enough in this subject matter, results about their knowledge are very far from what recommended by the international health organizations. It is therefore necessary to provide parents with training in order to empower them regarding their role in children’s physical development.