This study examined the relationship between outdoor physical activity levels, the role of parents in supporting outdoor physical activity by playing with children outdoors, and neighborhood "greenness" in 365 preschoolers, aged 2-5 years, in central Illinois. Specifically, the study examined 1) whether living in a greener neighborhood (as measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) was associated with higher levels of outdoor physical activity (measured by parent report), and 2) whether outdoor play type (quiet vs. active activity) was associated with neighborhood greenness independent of demographic variables and the role of parents in creating or supporting opportunities for preschoolers' outdoor play.
The key finding was that increased neighborhood greenness was associated with increased outdoor playing time in preschoolers, independent of demographic variables and parents' role in supporting outdoor play. Boys were more likely to engage in outdoor physical activity than girls, consistent with research on older children. In addition, white children were more likely to be physically active outdoors than non-white children. The study also examined the role of greenness on type of physical activity (quiet vs. active) of children and found that children living in neighborhoods with the highest levels of greenness were the most likely to engage in outdoor physical activity and that they spent about equal amounts of time in active and quiet outdoor play. The authors suggest that, as a result, these children may benefit from the greenness both through increased physical activity and also through the psychological benefits of exposure to greenness during quiet play. The authors note that there is likely a complex interaction of neighborhood greenness, child personality, parent support of outdoor physical activity as well as other parent factors that determine the amount and type of play preschoolers engage in outdoors.
Research Partner