title: Neighborhood and developmental differences in children's perceptions of opportunities for play and physical activity.
abstract: The purposes of this study were to examine perceptions of places to play and be physically active among children from two different urban neighborhoods, and evaluate these perceptions for age-related developmental differences. One hundred and sixty-eight children from grades K-6 (aged 6-12 years old) completed mental maps depicting places where they could play and be physically active. The children were recruited from schools in two neighborhoods-one a high-walkability (H-W) grid-style neighborhood, the other a low-walkability (L-W) lollipop-style (i.e., cul-de-sacs) neighborhood. Analysis revealed that children in the H-W neighborhood depicted more active transportation and less non-active transportation than children in the L-W neighborhood. Children in the lowest grades (K-2) in the L-W neighborhood depicted more play in the home/yard environment than the oldest children, more good weather image events than children in Grades 3-6, and less play outside the home/yard environment than children in Grades 3 and 4. In the H-W neighborhood, the youngest children (K-2) depicted significantly less play in the home/yard environment and less play outside the home/yard environment than older children (Grades 3-6). Thus, both the type of urban neighborhood and children's age moderated perceptions of places to play and be physically active.
authors.affiliation: Child & Adolescent Sport & Activity Research Laboratory, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, E-488 Van Vliet, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta., Canada T6G 2H9. nick.holt@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.forename: Z L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Sehn
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cutumisu
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000416:Alberta; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001154:Art; D002648:Child; D004779:Environment Design; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008377:Maps as Topic; D009043:Motor Activity; D010465:Perception; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014504:Urban Health