Efectos de los estilos de socialización parental y el entorno socioeconómico en la práctica de actividad física y el autoconcepto en el alumnado de educación primaria de la Región de Murcia

Abstract

Parental styles and socioeconomic and cultural environment can be one of the causes that affect physical activity at school age and the formation of self-concept at this stage. Today’s society is conditioned by bad eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle because of socioeconomic factors. In addition, parental styles and sociocultural factors are added to the influential variables in the state of physical health and the self-concept since education at home and in educational centres, together with the culture and habits surrounding them, determine the way of acting when carrying out healthy routines. The factors that determine nutritional health and self-concept are studied in this doctoral to describe the influence that the socioeconomic and cultural environment exerts on them and the styles of parental socialization on the practice of physical activity of their children. Further research has shown that acquiring a healthy lifestyle is not limited exclusively to the individual’s physical health but also positively impacts self-concept and its subdomains, such as self-esteem, perception of strength, physical attractiveness, sports competition, and physical activity condition. The most recent research postulates that when parental socialisation styles and the cultural environment contribute to developing healthy habits, the student develops more physical activity and achieves an adequate self-concept formation. In this sense, the distinguished parental socialisation styles are the following: democratic, permissive, authoritarian and negligent. However, parental socialisation styles are not the only variable associated with self-concept; in fact, the practice of physical activity is one of the most cited variables in research in this regard. The family environment is a determining space where Primary Education students receive the first values and attitudes for a healthy lifestyle. Research conducted to evaluate physical health and self-concept in recent years determined that the current situation is worrying and that some of its origins lie in families’ socioeconomic and cultural environments and parental styles. From the previous theoretical foundation, this study has sought to know the levels of physical activity, nutritional health status and self-concept in a sample of 937 primary school students from different educational centres in the Region of Murcia and to what extent these values could be affected by the socioeconomic and cultural environment, and parental styles in relation to healthy habits in the participant’s lifestyle. On the whole, the objective of this thesis is to determine physical activity levels, the nutritional status and the self-concept of primary school students in Región de Murcia influenced by parental socialization styles which they acquire from their families and from the socioeconomic and cultural environment which they are surrounded by. Moreover, in a specific way, assess the relationship between the socioeconomic and cultural environment and the nutritional status of primary school students in Región de Murcia; Become acquainted with the influence of the socioeconomic and cultural environment in physical activity in school-age children; Analyze the influence of the parental socialization styles in the self-concept in the Physical Activity field; Analyze the relationship between the parental socialization styles and the physical activity in school-age children. The methodology carried out through this research is based on a positivist and quantitative standpoint. A positivist standpoint of quantitative nature as a dialectical process which uses a combination of quantitative techniques and procedure with the purpose of diagnosing and solving a problem. To that effect, a questionnaire booklet has been administered, consisting of four tests to be completed by the participants, whose ages were between 11 and 12 years old. The questionnaire to evaluate the physical activity levels was the IPAQ, PSPP for the study of self-concept, NSE for the socioeconomic and cultural environment and ESPA29 was sent at home for the parental styles. Regarding the results obtained, it is worth highlighting the influence of the socioeconomic environment on the nutritional status of the schoolchildren, where the socioeconomic the mother influences the nutritional status. In contrast, the sociocultural the father is the one that influences the nutritional status of the participant. On the one hand, concerning the relationship between the practice of physical activity and the socioeconomic and cultural environment, Primary Education students have shown not to have a statistically significant relationship to perform more or physical activity. On the other hand, in terms of parental styles and their influence on self-concept, they are related to each other. In turn, parental socialization styles have also confirmed their influence on the levels of physical activity practice. It is worth noting some limitations that have influenced the development of this doctoral. Despite the robustness of the psychometric properties of the questionnaires, the one filled in by schoolchildren offers a subjective in the data caused by social desirability, plus the effect of the non-response derived from the completion of the questionnaires in between 50 and 60 minutes. Likewise, the limitations due to COVID-19 have caused of participant ratio. It has been explained, future research is suggested. For example, to expand the sample size with different sociodemographic characteristics, qualitative research, cooperative work between groups with different profiles of the educational community, and the influence that the variables of video games, genre and closest friendships may have. Finally, in conclusion of this doctoral has permitted the development of pedagogical implications, such as communication at an institutional level to inform and act from the educational system and activities and workshops to raise awareness and help families and students practice physical activity and healthy eating.