The Environmental Associations of Children's Outdoor Play

The amount of outdoor play has been shown to be associated with children’s physical activity (PA). Children’s PA has decreased, but there remains a lack of understanding on how environmental factors affect children’s... [ view full abstract ]

The amount of outdoor play has been shown to be associated with children’s physical activity (PA). Children’s PA has decreased, but there remains a lack of understanding on how environmental factors affect children’s activities. The aim of this study was to determine if physical and social environmental factors are associated with the amount of preschool children’s outdoor play. Children between the ages of 4 and 7 years (N = 1108, 556 boys, 552 girls) participated in the Skilled Kids project. Parents filled out a questionnaire that collected information on the amount of their children’s outdoor play during their free time as well as the characteristics of their physical and social environment. Descriptive analysis (t tests and Pearson correlation coefficient) was used for preliminary results.  

Preschool children played for approximately 30 to 60 minutes outdoors after the preschool day and for approximately 60 to 120 minutes on weekend days. Boys spent more time outside on weekdays (p=.001) and weekend days (p = .001) than girls did, but also used more entertainment media on weekends (p = .002). There were no gender differences in the amount of passive behavior or in the frequency of shared physical activities within the family. Children who played outdoors during the weekdays played outdoors more during weekend days (r = .45***). The parents of these children also suggested that their children were more active than other children (r = .32***). Children in families with shared physical activities played outdoors more than other families did (r = .22 – 26***). The amount of media use was slightly but negatively associated with the amount of outdoor play during weekends. 

This study shows that a physically active lifestyle has been learned early. Shared physical activities within the family should be supported, because it had positive associations with children’s outdoor play.