Physical activity plays a vital role when it comes to promoting positive health outcomes. The adoption of a sedentary lifestyle, in most cases, is associated with the risk of developing certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes due to consumption of fast foods. Therefore, there is a growing concern among health care professionals who are championing the adoption and integration of physical activity in the family. Cleland et al. (2005) explained that when parents participate in physical activities, they influence their children to adopt the same style of living. Thus, physical activity is a vital component for a child’s healthy growth and development. Further, it is also cited that children become inclined to participate in extracurricular activities at school which brings about various outcomes such as lower levels of antisocial behavior; greater involvement in sports and other physical activities; as well as children having higher levels of positive emotional wellbeing (Cleland et al., 2005). Therefore, the role that physical activity plays in a family cannot be ignored especially when one considers the institution of family. Wang and Qi (2016) emphasized that family is a fundamental socializing agent which has positive effect on the initiation and maintenance of the health of adolescents as related to physical activity habits. In this case, family structure is cited as being important as it influences the kind of health-related physical activity habits that children adopt. It becomes important to appreciate and recognize the influence of family structure in relation to individuals’ inclination to physical activities.
Physical Activity Patterns in Single Mothers
It is not uncommon that single motherhood has gained root in the global society. Regardless of cultural factors, there are at least single mothers across the globe probably due to divorce or the death of the husband. In China, for instance, the number of single-parent families has risen as individuals have become increasingly tolerant to both divorce and marriage (Wang & Qi, 2016). One particular outcome associated with single motherhood is negative health experiences which involve depression and cardiovascular disease (Dlugonski & Motl, 2016). Depression might be due to lack of another parent who helps in catering for the child’s needs while cardiovascular disease is an outcome of unhealthy eating and lack of engagement in physical activity. However, physical activity among single mothers could help reduce the foregoing health outcomes. Dlugonski and Motl (2016) conducted a study focusing on the beliefs and experiences of single mothers in relation to physical activity. The study showed that single mothers experience various barriers which are common to other groups of mothers. Some of the challenges are such as lack of time or being committed to other obligations thereby not having a work-life balance. For that reason, they do not experience the expected health benefits of physical activity (Dlugonski & Motl, 2016). However, Mailey et al. (2014) stated that single mothers have distinct challenges and strategies for participating in physical activity. It is noted that single mothers are vulnerable to depression due to stressful life events. Additionally, they suffer from low self-esteem, poverty, and limited social support which are more prevalent among single mothers compared to partnered/married mothers. Therefore, one can notice that being a single mother exposes one to various instances which run parallel to one’s desire to engage in physical activity. Dlugonski and Motl (2016) found that physical activity was largely connected to healthy eating. The participants in their study discussed food and its impact on an individual’s health. Some of the women discussed eating habits relative to their understanding and appreciation of physical activity as an important factor in promoting healthy outcomes. The authors stated that “When women were asked directly about physical activity, they sometimes responded by talking about healthy eating or caloric intake instead of talking physical activity” (Dlugonski & Motle, 2016, p. 315). However, even if that is the case, it is important to acknowledge that food choices and physical activity are closely related which validates the concern that the women have. Gilligan (1982) cited that in some cases, parents feel that their children’s needs are more important and hence refrain from self-care. Known as the ethic of care, it has been cited as being at odds with physical activity among parents as women, for instance, prioritize their own physical wellness below the needs of their children or others in their care. Thus, with rising cases of single motherhood, one can understand why some women feel that physical activity is somewhat of a barrier that hinders them from fulfilling their duty of care to their children and other family members ( Solomon-Moore et al., 2018) .
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Lack of work-life balance is a major factor that contributes the likelihood of lack thereof of single-mothers participating in physical activity. Quarmby, Dagkas and Bridge (2011) focused on links between children’s physical activities and their relationship to family structure and sedentary behaviors. The authors found that children in single-parent families were less likely to participate in physical activities after school. They gave the example of Jack (lives with a single mother), who due to lack of parental support prevented him from participating in physical activities. Jack said, “My mum’s job [referring to barriers to activity], she gets back at like half to five so if I want to go anywhere to do anything it’s normally too so instead like I just play X box and stay in when she’s not back” (Quarmby, Dagkas & Bridge, 2011, p. 72). Therefore, one can notice that the experiences of children mirror the reality of single mothers when it comes to physical activity. Jack considers his mother’s professional life as being too rigid such that even he, himself, cannot get time to engage in physical activity. The implication is that if Jack’s mother had a job well-paying job with flexible hours, it would be easy for him to refrain from adopting a sedentary lifestyle. In this case, the experiences of the child tell more about the challenges of the mother in finding for physical activity even for herself.
Impact of Social Capital in Promoting Physical Activity
In the foregoing section, various social determinants of health were discussed demonstrating their effect on single-mothers’ likelihood to participate in physical activity. For instance, lack of work-life balance, lack of time, and the ethics of care, were cited as some of the barriers that undermine mothers’ engagement in physical activity. The implication is that the said factors play a vital role in determining other outcomes such as children’s engagement and maintenance of physical activities whether at school or at home. However, an assessment of the concept of social capital could help provide various ways in which single mothers could engage in physical activity. Descriptively, social capital entails a network of shared norms, values and understandings which promote cooperation within or among groups (Fu et al., 2018). In this case, networks are family members, friends, among others. Thus, social capital serves as a backbone for social wellbeing which is further related to individual health and wellness.
One aspect of social capital is that it centers on the nature and quality of social interactions. Bartolomeo and Papa (2019) focused on the effects of social interactions on physical activity. The authors assessed the choices of individuals who played an investment game but were previously engaged in a short-time physical activity to others who were not exposed to it. The second group was, however, involved in other different tasks. The major finding was that “… subjects exposed to physical activity exhibited more trust and prosocial behaviors than those who were not exposed” (Bartolomeo & Papa, 2019, p. 50) and that the effects were not temporary. The results demonstrate the effects of social capital in promoting the quality of relationship between and among individuals. To emphasize the findings further, Ilida and Rozier (2013) focused on mother-perceived social capital on children’s oral health and the use of dental. The authors found that children of mothers with a high social capital index (SCI) were more likely to go for preventive dental visits compared to children of mothers with a low SCI. The same effect is anticipated even when it comes to single mothers’ engagement in physical activity. The implication is that a higher score of SCI is expected to promote increased participation in physical activity for single mothers.
Putting the case in question into context, Westin and Westerling (2007) discussed the effect of social capital in relation to inequality in health between couple and single parents. The key finding was that “ A low level of social capital (both social participation and trust), when adjusted for social support, socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables, was clearly and positively associated with less than good self-rated health” and that “Social capital was unevenly distributed between single and couple mothers” (Westin & Westerling, 2007, p. 606). The findings imply that social capital is positively linked to self-rated health at the individual level. For instance, the findings of Ilida and Rozier (2013) demonstrate that social capital promotes positive relations between and among individuals. Consequently, individuals develop a common behavior and attitude towards certain things like taking children for preventive dental visits. In the same manner, when single mothers are enrolled in a group where there is emphasis of physical activity, they are likely to start participating in the same. It is justified for one to state that the kind of socialization experienced through social networks determines the likelihood or lack thereof of individuals adopting certain behaviors and integrating them into as part of their daily activities. The same concept can be applied for single mothers. For instance, Ciabattari (2005) expressed concerns for work-life conflict which affects the quality of life for parents. The concerns raised are that parents work too much thereby having little time even for self-care. However, through social capital, as Westin and Westerling (2007) cited, single mothers can find avenues through which they can participate in physical activity. However, they did warn that there is an uneven distribution of social capital between single and couple mothers which could explain the different in patterns of engagement to physical activity. Taking the example of the case of Jack (Quarmby, Dagkas & Bridge, 2011), one can notice that his mother is a representation of the single mothers whose jobs take too much of their time affecting their participation in social networks. However, unique individual factors might influence an individual’s participation in physical activity, but social capital has been proven as having a positive effect.
Conclusion
Single mothers experience various challenges when it comes to their engagement in physical activity. The most dominant themes are such as, the ethics of care, lack of time, work-life imbalance, and limited social support. However, based on the discussion, it is clear that social capital, within which social support is acquired, can help promote positive health outcomes among individuals. Therefore, single mothers can experience a positive outcome in terms of having time to engage in physical activity with friends. They can enroll into groups that do not conflict with their working hours thereby allowing for an opportunity for self-care.
References
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