Associations between the Home Physical Environment and Children’s Home-Based Physical Activity and Sitting

Michael P. Sheldrick, Clover Maitland, Kelly A. Mackintosh, Michael Rosenberg, Lucy J. Griffiths, Richard Fry and Gareth Stratton
Additional contact information
Michael P. Sheldrick: Research Centre in Applied Sports, Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM), Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Clover Maitland: Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
Kelly A. Mackintosh: Research Centre in Applied Sports, Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM), Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
Michael Rosenberg: School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
Lucy J. Griffiths: Health Data Research UK, Wales and Northern Ireland, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Richard Fry: Health Data Research UK, Wales and Northern Ireland, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
Gareth Stratton: Research Centre in Applied Sports, Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM), Swansea University, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: It is important to understand the correlates of children’s physical activity (PA) and sitting at home, where children spend significant time. The home social environment has an important influence; however, much less is known about the home physical environment. Therefore, the study aimed to assess relationships between the physical environment and children’s sitting and PA at home. In total, 235 child-parent dyads were included in the analyses. Children spent 67% of their time at home sitting. Linear regression analyses examined associations between physical home environmental factors obtained via an audit and children’s (55% girl, 10.2 ± 0.7) objective PA and sitting at home. Following adjustment for socio-demographics and social environmental factors, an open plan living area (OPLA), musical instrument accessibility and availability, and perceived house size were negatively and positively associated, whereas media equipment accessibility and availability was positively and negatively associated with sitting and standing, respectively. Additionally, an OPLA was positively associated with total and moderate-to-vigorous PA. Furthermore, sitting breaks were positively associated with objective garden size and negatively associated with digital TV. The physical home environment may have an important influence on children’s sitting, standing and PA at home; therefore, interventions that target this environment are needed.

Keywords: house; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; families; youth; objective; standing; screen-time (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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