Turkish Parents’ Attitudes Towards Strength and Aerobic Exercises in their Children: A Replication of Ten Hoor et al. (2015)

In this study, parental attitudes towards aerobic and strength exercises from Turkish parents were examined. In a first study, interviews were conducted with 10 Turkish parents (4 mothers, 6 fathers). In a second study, a Dutch study by ten Hoor et al. (2015) was replicated in Turkey after which data was cautiously compared to examine if there are any cultural differences. A total of 321 Turkish parents filled out an online survey regarding their own and their children’s physical activity, and more specifically, their attitudes towards aerobic and strength exercises. Overall, study 1 showed that Turkish parents were positive about their children’s strength exercises. Similar to the study by Ten Hoor et al. (2015), study 2 demonstrated that Turkish parents had more positive attitudes for aerobic exercises compared to strength exercises. Cautious comparisons between Dutch and Turkish parents generally showed no differences. Turkish parents with negative attitudes towards strength exercises of their child provided similar reasons compared to the Dutch sample. In conclusion, Turkish and Dutch parents have similar opinions regarding physical activity and its types. For Turkish parents, negative attitudes about strength exercises are based on misperceptions – similar to what was found in Dutch parents. Future interventions are needed to deal with those misperceptions.