Assessing the impact of parents’ digital and health literacy on children’s participation in sport

Higher levels of parental health and digital literacy are associated with better health knowledge and therefore better health outcomes for their children. There is currently no research evaluating the impact of parental digital and health literacy on children's participation in sport. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effect of parental digital and health literacy on the sport participation of their children and included parents of children aged 6-18 years, categorized into a sport-participating group (n = 201) and a non-participating group (n = 116). Parents completed a questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, internet and mobile phone usage for health-related purposes, and their children's level of sport participation. Additionally, they were administered the Digital Literacy Scale and the Health Literacy Scale. The total, technical, and social dimension scores of the Digital Literacy Scale were significantly higher in parents of children participating in sport (P < .05). Similarly, the total score on the Health Literacy Scale, as well as the subscale scores for accessing/obtaining, understanding, and processing/appraising health-related information were significantly higher in the sport-participating group (P < .05). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the total scores of the Digital Literacy Scale and the Health Literacy Scale (P = .001, r = 0.412). These findings indicate that parents of children engaged in sport have significantly higher digital and health literacy levels. Enhancing parental digital and health literacy may play a crucial role in promoting children's participation in sport. Interventions aimed at improving parental digital and health literacy could positively impact children's sport-related health outcomes.