Mothers' activity level depends on number and age of children: Research

According to a study, mothers with younger children are the least likely to achieve the necessary levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise. Less than half of women do. The findings of the study were published in PLOS ONE. Physical activity, particularly when it is moderate to vigorous, has many health benefits, decreasing the risk of a wide range of diseases from cancer to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as helping maintain a healthy weight and better mental health. Evidence suggests physical activity can help parents cope with the daily challenges of being a parent and strengthen relationships with children if they are active together. However, parents tend to be less active than non-parents. To examine how family composition affected the amount of physical activity mothers engaged in, researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University of Southampton analysed data from 848 women who participated in the UK Southampton Women's Survey. The women, aged 20-34 years, were recruited between 1998 and 2002 and followed up over subsequent years. They were given accelerometers to assess their levels of activity. Women with school-aged children did on average around 26 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, whereas mothers with only younger children (aged four years or under) managed around 18 mins* per day. Having more than one child meant mothers managed only around 21 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, but interestingly, mums with multiple children all under five years old did more light-intensity activity than those with children of school age. Less than 50 percent of mothers met the recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (150 minutes per week), regardless of the ages of their children.