What Influences Parents’ Fear about Children’s Independent Mobility? Evidence from a State-Wide Survey of Australian Parents

Purpose:To identify factors associated with generalized and stranger-specific parental fear (PF) about children’s independent mobility (CIM), a critical aspect of physical activity.Design:Cross-sectional survey; random sampling frame, minimum quotas of fathers, rural residents.Setting:State of Victoria, Australia.Subjects:Parents of children aged 9 to 15 years (n = 1779), 71% response rate.Measures:Validated measures of PF and fear of strangers (FoS); parent, child, social, and environmental factors.Analysis:Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression stratified by child age (9-10; 11-13; 14-15).Results:Adjusted models explained a substantial proportion of variance across all age groups (PF: 33.6%-36.7%; FoS: 39.1%-44.0%). Perceived disapproval from others was consistently associated with both outcomes (PF: β =.11 to 23, p ≤ .05; FoS: β =.17-.21, p ≤ .001) as was parents’ perception of children’s competence to travel safely (PF: β = −.24 to −.11, p ≤ .05; FoS: β = −.16 to −.13, p ≤ .01). Factors associated ...