Parent Support for Physical Activity and Motor Skills During Early Childhood: A Mixed-Methods Application of the Multi-process Action Control Framework.

This article focuses on exploring parents' intentions and behaviors in supporting physical activity (PA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS) development in preschool-aged children, using the multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework. The study found that a significantly higher proportion of parents intended to and did support PA compared with FMS, with a smaller intention–behavior gap for both behaviors than previously reported in parents of school-aged children. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that parents' support for PA was strongly associated with reflexive processes such as habit and identity, while support for FMS was more influenced by reflective and regulatory processes, including parents' attitudes, perceived capabilities, and planning behaviors. The findings suggest that interventions aiming to enhance parent support for FMS should focus on increasing parents' knowledge and physical literacy, alongside fostering regulatory strategies, while PA support interventions may benefit from targeting parents' PA identity and habitual behaviors.