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ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this study was to map the instruments used to assess parental support for physical activity and their constructs and psychometric properties. Data source: A scoping review was conducted, with searches in seven electronic databases and reference lists, covering articles available until April 2022. Original and cross-sectional studies were sought that used questionnaires, inventories or questions to assess parental support for the practice of physical activity and sports by children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years and that assessed the barriers reported by parents or guardians for not offering support. Data synthesis: Of the initial 1739 articles, 21 made up the synthesis. From a general perspective, 11 studies from 5 continents used a questionnaire or inventory or question to assess parental support; the majority of the samples evaluated were made up of girls and mothers. The intraclass correlation coefficient was the most used measure to evaluate the reliability of the instruments (10 studies). To assess the reliability of the instruments, Cronbach’s alpha was the most used measure (13 studies). Conclusions: Only one instrument was constructed respecting the psychometric properties. Authors are advised to consider the importance of following the instrument validity evidence process when developing or adapting instruments.

This study investigates the relationship between social support and moderate to vigorous physical activity, as well as the possible relationships between social support and socioeconomic status, gender and body mass index. Cross-sectional study with a non-randomized sample of 71 students (boys and girls) aged 7 to 12 and their parents or legal guardians. Social support and socioeconomic status were assessed using validated questionnaires. Height and body mass measurements were used for the body mass index equation. Moderate to vigorous physical activity was measured by accelerometers. The associations between all variables were tested by a network analysis. Moderate to vigorous physical activity is negatively correlated with socioeconomic status, body mass index and a question from the social support questionnaire: “How many times in the last week have you watched your child be physically active?”. We observed a positive correlation between moderate to vigorous physical activity with gender and a question from the social support questionnaire: “How many times in the last week did you provide transport for your child’s physical activity?”. Thus, moderate to vigorous physical activity has a negative correlation with socioeconomic status, body mass index and the variable “parents sometimes observe their child to be physically active”, and parents who provide transportation for the child to practice physical activity. In future, it is import to consider the network analysis in the intervention studies to promote adolescents’ physical activity.