Environmental determinants of outdoor play in children: a large-scale cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Outdoor play is a cheap and natural way for children to be physically active.


OBJECTIVE
This study aims to identify physical as well as social correlates of outdoor play in the home and neighborhood environment among children of different age groups.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data were derived from 6470 parents of children from 42 primary schools in four Dutch cities by means of questionnaires (2007-2008). Multivariate sequential Poisson GEE analyses were conducted (2010) to quantify the correlation between physical and social home and neighborhood characteristics and outdoor play among boys and girls aged 4-6 years, 7-9 years, and 10-12 years.


RESULTS
This study showed that next to proximal (home) environmental characteristics such as parental education (RR=0.93-0.97); the importance parents pay to outdoor play (RR=1.32-1.75); and the presence of electronic devices in the child's own room (RR=1.04-1.15), several neighborhood characteristics were significantly associated with children's outdoor play. Neighborhood social cohesion was related to outdoor play in five of six subgroups (RR=1.01-1.02), whereas physical neighborhood characteristics (e.g., green neighborhood type, presence of water, diversity of routes) were associated with outdoor play in specific subgroups only.


CONCLUSIONS
Neighborhood social cohesion was related to outdoor play among children of different age and gender, which makes it a promising point of action for policy development. Policies aimed at improving physical neighborhood characteristics in relation to outdoor play should take into account age and gender of the target population.
Aarts
Marie-Jeanne
MJ
Tilburg University, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department Tranzo, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Wendel-Vos
Wanda
W
van Oers
Hans A M
HA
van de Goor
Ien A M
IA
Schuit
Albertine J
AJ
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D010988:Play and Playthings; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires