Children exposed to negative neighborhood environments are at high risk of experiencing violence. This study aimed to explore the effects of parental perception of neighborhood collective efficacy on parental physical violence (PV) to their preschool children in a county of China. A total of 1337 parents from nine kindergartens were recruited by the stratified random cluster sampling method. Data about parental PV behavior toward children during the past three months, parental perception of neighborhood collective efficacy, together with their attitudes towards the use of corporal punishment to discipline children, and demographic characteristics were collected. Their relationships were investigated by applying multivariable logistic regression models. Overall, 67.5% of the parents reported at least one form of PV during the past three months. The rates of minor PV (MPV) and severe PV (SPV) were 67% and 22.8%, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression showed that only social cohesion was associated with lower odds of parental PV and MPV behavior after controlling for covariates. The results suggest that neighborhood collective efficacy is associated with parental PV behavior against their children to some extent, but the effects differ according to the severity level of PV. Neighborhood social cohesion may have a positive role in reducing parental PV behavior in the county surveyed at present study.

This study explored factors affecting parents’ intentions to use physical violence (PV) to discipline their children in the future. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) guided selection of variables. A sample of 1337 preschool children’s parents from nine kindergartens located in a county of Henan Province, China were selected by stratified random cluster sampling. Data on parents’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control over PV, intentions to engage in PV to discipline their preschool children in the future, self-reported PV behavior toward their children during the past three months, and demographic characteristics were collected via a paper-based questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined putative predictors of parents’ intentions to use physically violent discipline. Nearly three-quarters of the sample said they definitely will not use violent discipline, while 23.4% either said they would use it, or did not rule it out. Logistic regression analysis showed that parents’ lower level of perceived behavioral control over using violence (OR 4.17; 95% CI: 2.659, 6.551), attitudes that support PV (OR 2.23; 95% CI: 1.555, 3.203), and having been physically violent with their children during the past three months (OR 1.62; 95% CI: 1.032, 2.556) were significantly associated with parents’ tendency either to include, or not exclude, the use of violent discipline. Parents’ subjective norms regarding PV had no significant impact on their intentions (p > 0.05). The influence of TPB constructs varied according to parents’ gender. Intervention programs that aim to reduce violent discipline should focus both on increasing parents’ perceived behavioral control over PV and changing their attitudes toward physically violent practices, especially among mothers and parents who have already used PV to discipline their children.

Physical violence (PV) against children by parents is a worldwide public health concern. Fewer studies explored the prevalence of PV in rural areas of China. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among primary school students’ parents in five rural schools located in a town of Shandong Province. Data about parental PV behaviors against their children during the past 3 months and possible risk factors of parental PV behaviors were collected. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to investigate the risk factors of parental PV behaviors against their children. Of the 978 parents investigated, the parental self-reported prevalence of PV against their children was 50.0%. Parents’ favorable attitudes toward the use of corporal punishment to discipline children were found to be associated with their increased use of PV. Evidence of higher prevalence of parental PV behaviors against children identified in this sample suggests the need for programs aimed at improving parents’ parenting skills in this rural area of China.

Behavioral interventions have been shown to be effective in improving dietary behavior and reducing childhood obesity. There is limited evidence on how concurrent changes in dietary behavior from intervention studies affect childhood obesity. The present study aimed to evaluate the mediating effect of concurrent changes in dietary behaviors between the intervention and changes in adiposity indicators. This study included 1180 children from the DECIDE-Children study, which was conducted across three areas in China, aiming to promote children’s healthy diet and physical activity, while also engaging schools and families to support children’s behavioral changes. Dietary behaviors were collected by a revised version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire and a self-designed questionnaire. Adiposity outcomes were objectively measured by trained personnel. Generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate the association between scores of dietary behavioral changes and adiposity indicator changes. Mediation analyses were used to evaluate how scores of dietary behavioral changes mediated the effect of intervention on adiposity indicator changes. Six hundred children in the intervention group and five hundred and eight in the control group with both baseline and follow-up data were included. Each increase in dietary behavioral change score was associated with a 0.06 (p = 0.016) decrease in changes in BMI and other adiposity indicators. Scores of dietary behavioral changes mediated 13.87% (p < 0.001), 11.81% (p < 0.001), 17.60% (p = 0.024), and 16.78% (p = 0.032) of the association between intervention and changes in body mass index (BMI), BMI z-score, body fat percentage, and waist circumference, respectively. Scores of dietary behavioral changes mediated the intervention effect on adiposity indicator changes. Future interventions targeting childhood obesity should incorporate promoting multiple dietary behaviors simultaneously.

The authors would like to correct the Cronbach’s α for the measures in the “Methods” section of their previous paper