🏃♀️👨👩👧 Getting teens moving through their parents: Public Health France followed 4,005 parents before and after its campaign "Getting Teens Moving."
📊 Few effects on all parents, but positive associations among parents of girls, from lower socio-professional categories or starting from a low level.
🎙️🎥 "
1️⃣ SUMMARY
The authors recall that in France, according to the Esteban data cited in the article, about one third of boys and one fifth of girls aged 11 to 14 meet the physical activity recommendations (p. 2-3). Public Health France launched a month-long campaign on 1 September 2022, "Get Teens Moving", one aspect of which aimed to strengthen parents' sense of personal efficacy to support their adolescent's physical activity. The article evaluates only this parental aspect (p. 3). This online prospective study, conducted from July 2022 to July 2023, recruited 4,005 voluntary parents through quotas in a panel. According to the text, 2,808 responded just after the campaign and 2,173 also responded nine months later (p. 3-4). The analyses focus on the association between the reported recognition of the campaign, measured at T1 after the presentation of the materials, and the evolution of the determinants of parental support, of supportive behaviours and of the physical activity of adolescents reported by their parents (p. 4-5).
2️⃣ WHAT TO REMEMBER
1️⃣ Result. Among the 2,808 parents responding at T1, the article reports that 66.0% recognise at least one medium of the campaign: 55.2% the TV ad, 41.6% a radio ad and 29.1% a banner. This is a recognition declared after the presentation of the media, and not a spontaneous recall; only one of the three radio ads and one of the seven banners were presented to each participant, after random selection (p. 4-5). In the overall sample analysed, no statistically significant association is observed with the evolution of the measured attitudes nor with that of the physical activity of adolescents reported by the parents (tables 2 and 4)
2️⃣ Result. At T1, the recognition of the TV ad or a radio ad is associated with a more favourable evolution of the sense of personal efficacy to help the adolescent find a sport they enjoy (table 2, p. 7). In the analyses according to the sex of the adolescent reported by the authors, this association is significant only among parents of girls for the overall recognition of the campaign and that of the TV ad (p. 8). Another positive association is reported among parents of lower socio-professional category: in the analysis related to the banners, it concerns the sense of efficacy for engaging in physical activity with their adolescent (p. 8)
3️⃣ Result. In the analyses concerning a low initial level of the studied physical activity indicator, the recognition of radio spots is associated, at T1, with a higher probability of achieving at least one hour of physical activity per day on the weekend and engaging in informal physical activity at least once a week. The recognition of banners is associated with favourable outcomes for weekend activity, active commutes to school, and club sports. At T2, positive associations remain reported for weekend activity and active commutes to school among parents recognizing the banners (p. 8). These results are based on parental reports; the corresponding supplementary tables are not included in the provided PDF.
3️⃣ TO ACT
1️⃣ Tool explicitly cited.A test available on mangerbouger.fr allows parents to assess the level of physical activity of their teenager; two banners from the campaign referred to it (p. 3). External source: the test is still online (Public Health France, page from 2 September 2026, consulted on 30 October 2026).
2️⃣ Tool explicitly cited.Three banners provided advice to parents: dedicate one hour per week to a family physical activity, launch a skipping rope challenge, participate in a photo challenge (p. 3). Health Practices Suggestion: these examples can foster a discussion with parents; the article does not evaluate them one by one.
3️⃣ Guidance proposed by the authors. . Based on the work of Rhodes et al. and the reported practice inequalities in the literature, the authors recommend strengthening the parents' sense of personal efficacy and paying particular attention to girls as well as adolescents whose parents have a low socio-professional status, level of education, or level of physical activity (p. 2-3). This is a guidance for designing interventions, not a field action protocol evaluated in this study.
Note: the only action planned by the document is the evaluation of the broadcasts from September 2023 and September 2024 with the same cohort of parents (p. 10). It does not apply directly to the field.
4️⃣ 3 PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
1️⃣ What forms of parental support does the study measure? Three: encouraging the adolescent to be active most days of the week, helping them discover a sport they like, engaging in physical activity together (p. 4). The introduction describes parental support as encouragement, logistical support, and co-activity (p. 2).
2️⃣ What lever did the campaign aim to act on with parents? The parents' sense of personal efficacy in supporting their adolescent, according to the theory of planned behaviour supplemented by the work of Rhodes et al. (p. 3). This work showed already high parental attitudes, while personal efficacy could improve (p. 2).
3️⃣ Did the campaign increase adolescents' physical activity? The study does not allow us to assert that. In the overall sample, it does not highlight a statistically significant association between the recognition of the campaign and the evolution of physical activity reported by the parents. Positive associations appear in the analyses concerning low initial levels of certain indicators (p. 8). However, the activity is reported by the parents using a non-validated questionnaire, and the comparison relies on the self-reported recognition of the campaign, not on a randomly assigned exposure (p. 4 and 10)
5️⃣ TO GO FURTHER
2️⃣ External resource : Public Health France, "Physical activity and combating sedentary behaviour: how does Public Health France support the French?", news published on 2 September 2026. It presents the physical activity tests from mangerbouger.fr (adults and adolescents), the ICAPS approach with middle school students and recalls the "Get Teens Moving" initiative. Link to the page (accessed on 30 October 2026).
6️⃣ #️⃣ HASHTAGS
#healthpractices #PhysicalActivity #Adolescents #ParentalSupport #SocialMarketing #PublicHealthFrance #SedentaryBehaviour #SocialInequalities
To go further, order a research or documentary watch
This article: An editorial production based on
experience enhanced by artificial intelligence - The English version of the site is an automatic translation: the French version is authoritative - Click on the image 