Relevance of parental cultural capital for adolescents’ physical exercise and sport activity

The aim of the present study was to develop and investigate a theory-based model of the direct and indirect relationships between socio-cultural factors and adolescents’ physical exercise and sport activity (PESA). This survey involved 966 adolescents (Mage = 14.80, SD = 0.75; n = 524 female). The participants were recruited from Grade 9 classes from German secondary schools. Multilevel path analysis was used to investigate direct and indirect effects between variables. The path model indicates that the supposed direct relationship between parental educational level and adolescents’ PESA which is commonly suggested and reported in several studies was completely mediated by parental PESA, parental occupational prestige, and adolescents’ social resources.