Outdoor spaces may be important places for children to be active, however, little is known about how specific outdoor spaces, such as parks and greenspaces, might be linked to children's physical activity. The purpose of this study by Boone-Heinonen and colleagues was ti investigate the influence of different outdoor spaces on children's leisure-time moderate to vigorous physical activities.
Researchers examined outdoor space and physical activity data for over 10,000 7th through 12th grade children from across the U.S. Researchers used a geographic information system (GIS) to examine outdoor spaces around each child's home, including greenspace coverage within 3km of each child's home and distance to the nearest neighborhood park and major park. Researchers also questioned each child regarding their physical activities, including how frequently they participated in specific activities (e.g., baseball, roller-skating, and jogging) during the past week.
In analyzing the data, Boone-Heinonen and colleagues found that boys reported more moderate to vigorous physical activity than girls for all activities except exercise. In examining linkages between specific outdoor spaces and children's physical activity, researchers found that children who lived closer to neighborhood and major parks participated in more active sports. Researchers also discovered that girls who lived closer to major parks participated in more wheel-based activity and that girls who lived closer to neighborhood parks were more likely to participate in at least five weekly bouts of moderate to vigorous physical activity. With regard to amount of greenspace, Boone-Heinonen and colleagues found that children with more greenspace nearby were more likely to participate in at least five weekly bouts of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and that girls with more greenspace nearby participated in more exercise.
This study provides important information about the role that specific outdoor spaces might play in encouraging children to be physically active, and highlights how outdoor spaces might be particularly important to enhance girls' amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
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