Veitch J, Salmon J, Ball K
Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia.
Health Educ Res. 2008 Oct;23(5):870-9. doi: 10.1093/her/cym074. Epub 2007 Nov 26.
Many Australian children are more sedentary than they should be, and almost one in five are currently overweight or obese. Some children may face difficulties finding opportunities to be active, having poor access to safe public open spaces or having low independent mobility limiting their access to places to play. This study aimed to examine children's access to places in their neighborhood for active free play and how these vary by age, sex and socioeconomic status (SES). Behavioral maps of the local neighborhood were completed by children (8-12 years) from five primary schools across different areas of Melbourne. Children living in low SES outer-urban neighborhoods had to travel greater distances to access local parks compared with those in inner-urban mid and high SES areas. One-third (32%) of children reported an independent mobility range of <100 m from home. In conclusion, for some children opportunities to engage in active free play in the local neighborhood may be limited due to lack of parks in close proximity to home and restricted independent mobility. It is important to collaborate with local governments, urban planners and community groups to improve access to neighborhood parks and to promote a sense of neighborhood safety.
许多澳大利亚儿童久坐不动的时间超过了应有的程度，目前几乎五分之一的儿童超重或肥胖。一些儿童可能难以找到机会进行体育活动，安全的公共开放空间较少，或者独立出行能力较低，限制了他们前往玩耍场所的机会。本研究旨在调查儿童在其社区中进行自由体育活动的场所，以及这些场所如何因年龄、性别和社会经济地位（SES）而有所不同。来自墨尔本不同地区五所小学的8至12岁儿童完成了当地社区的行为地图。与内城区中高SES地区的儿童相比，生活在外城区低SES社区的儿童前往当地公园需要走更远的距离。三分之一（32%）的儿童报告说，他们独立出行的范围距离家不到100米。总之，对于一些儿童来说，由于家附近缺乏公园以及独立出行受限,在当地社区进行自由体育活动的机会可能会受到限制。与地方政府、城市规划者和社区团体合作，改善社区公园的可达性并增强社区安全感非常重要。
