Children's Active Free Play in Local Neighborhoods: A Behavioral Mapping Study
Item
Title
Children's Active Free Play in Local Neighborhoods: A Behavioral Mapping Study
Abstract/Description
Many Australian children are more sedentary than they should be, and almost one in five are currently overweight or obese. Some children may face difficulties finding opportunities to be active, having poor access to safe public open spaces or having low independent mobility limiting their access to places to play. This study aimed to examine children's access to places in their neighborhood for active free play and how these vary by age, sex and socioeconomic status (SES). Behavioral maps of the local neighborhood were completed by children (8–12 years) from five primary schools across different areas of Melbourne. Children living in low SES outer-urban neighborhoods had to travel greater distances to access local parks compared with those in inner-urban mid and high SES areas. One-third (32%) of children reported an independent mobility range of <100 m from home. In conclusion, for some children opportunities to engage in active free play in the local neighborhood may be limited due to lack of parks in close proximity to home and restricted independent mobility. It is important to collaborate with local governments, urban planners and community groups to improve access to neighborhood parks and to promote a sense of neighborhood safety.
Author/creator
Date
In publication
Volume
23
Issue
5
Pages
870-879
Resource type
Background/Context
Medium
Print
Background/context type
Conceptual
Open access/free-text available
Yes
Peer reviewed
Yes
ISSN
0268-1153
Citation
Veitch, J., Salmon, J., & Ball, K. (2008). Children’s Active Free Play in Local Neighborhoods: A Behavioral Mapping Study. Health Education Research, 23(5), 870–879. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cym074
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