The built environment can be a resource for children’s well-being enhancing activitiesThe purpose of this study was to increase our knowledge of the impact of the built environment on children’s subjective well-being.
Researchers linked well-being data on over 23,000 Norwegian children with geospatial data on the built environment surrounding their addresses. The well-being data was based on the Norwegian version of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ), a widely used tool for measuring mood, feelings and depressive symptoms in early childhood. The SMFQ was embedded in a questionnaire completed by the mothers when the children were eight years old. The questionnaire also included items addressing the child’s leisure activities, friends, and general health, as well as demographic information about the mother. In analyzing the data, the researchers investigated both direct and mediating pathways between certain built environment characteristics (including nearby parks and population density), participation in social and leisure activities, and children's subjective well-being.
Results showed that “children having a park and more playgrounds/sports fields in the neighborhood, as well as those living in more densely populated areas, had more depressive moods and negative feelings.” Children with greater participation in leisure activities had better moods and feelings, with “social activity with friends” having the strongest association with subjective well-being. Children with a park within 800 meters of their homes engaged more in leisure physical activities in the summer. This, in turn, was associated with a reduced level of negative symptoms, but not significantly. Similarly, children living in more densely populated areas were more likely to be frequently involved in organized and social activities, which also reduced negative symptoms and feelings.
The direct associations identified in this study might suggest that living in rural areas, which typically have low population density and fewer facilities, would be more beneficial for children’s well-being than living in urban areas. Further analysis, however, showed that participation in various leisure activities was positively associated with subjective well-being. Access to facilities and venues is sometimes necessary for participating in certain activities. “Potentially, the results exhibit the difference between the environment as a context, which in fact could be adverse, whereas use of the environment and its built features are advantageous.” Planners and policy makers would thus do well to provide neighborhood resources and venues that support engagement in leisure activities.
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