The purpose of this study by Bringolf-Isler and colleagues was to investigate the effects of socio-cultural and environmental factors, both from parents' perceptions and from objectively assessed characteristics, on children's vigorous outdoor play.
The study was conducted with 6- to 7-, 9- to 10-, and 13- to 14-year-old children from three urban or rural communities in Switzerland that were French and/or German speaking. More than 1300 parents completed surveys about the amount of time their child spent playing outdoors, various demographic characteristics, and environmental characteristics of their neighborhood. In addition, more than 1000 parents included a home address with their survey, making it possible for researchers to use a geographic information system (GIS) to examine various environmental characteristics around each child's home, such as street density and amount of green space.
In analyzing the data, Bringolf-Isler and colleagues found that younger children spent an average of about 82 minutes a day playing outside, while older children spent an average of 42 minutes a day playing outside. The researchers also found that girls, older children, and children with a French speaking background spent less time vigorously playing outdoors, while children who were non-Swiss and had younger siblings spent more time playing outside. With regard to environmental factors, Bringolf-Isler and colleagues found that children spent less time playing outdoors if they lived in an area with higher street density. In addition, the researchers found that younger children in urbanized areas spent less time playing outdoors if their parents were concerned about traffic safety.
The researchers' examination of a broad range of factors, use of both objective (GIS) and subjective (parent surveys) assessment measures, and focus on Europe provides a valuable contribution to the literature in this area. Among its findings, this study highlights the importance of road characteristics in terms of children's physical activity.
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