Mothers’ Perceived Neighbourhood Environment and Outdoor Play of 2- to 3.5-Year-Old Children: Findings from the Healthy Beginnings Trial

Huilan Xu, Li Ming Wen, Louise L. Hardy and Chris Rissel
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Huilan Xu: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Li Ming Wen: Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Louise L. Hardy: Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Chris Rissel: Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Background: This study aims to investigate whether mothers’ perceived neighbourhood environment is associated with outdoor playtime of 2- to 3.5-year-old children. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using data from the Healthy Beginnings Trial (HBT). Data on children’s outdoor playtime and mothers’ perceived neighbourhood environment were collected through face-to-face interviews with mothers when their children were 2 and 3.5 years old. Walk score was obtained from a publicly available website and population density data were obtained from Australian Census data. Multiple logistic regression models were built to investigate these associations. Results: A total of 497 and 415 mother-child dyads were retained at 2 years and 3.5 years. After adjusting for intervention group allocation and other confounding factors, at 2 years, mothers’ perceptions that ‘the neighbourhood is a good place to bring up children’, ‘it is safe to play outside during the day’, and ‘there are good parks or playgrounds in neighbourhood’ were positively associated with children’s outdoor playtime. At 3.5 years, living in a free-standing house was associated with more children’s outdoor playtime. Conclusions: Children may benefit from living in a neighbourhood that supports active lifestyle. Improving social and physical environments in neighbourhoods could be an important strategy for improving young children’s physical activity.

Keywords: neighbourhood environment; outdoor play; physical activity; young children; perceptions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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