Health Promotion Service, Sydney South West Area Health Service, Syndey, Australia.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2009 Mar 16;6:15. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-6-15.
Time spent outdoors is positively associated with physical activity and has been suggested as a proxy for physical activity of children. The role of children's independence in physical activity and time spent outdoors is less understood. This study aimed to assess how much time children spent playing outdoors after school, and to explore the relationship between outdoor play and independence among children aged 10-12 years.
Children recorded how much time they spent playing outdoors or watching TV/videos or playing computer games after school using a five-day diary, and also reported whether they were allowed to walk on their own in their neighbourhood as an indicator of their independent mobility. Parents were surveyed on family demographics and perception of neighbourhood safety. The surveys were conducted in late 2006 as part of the Central Sydney Walk to School program which involved 1975 children and their parents from 24 primary schools. Factors associated with time spent playing outdoors were determined by logistic regression modelling.
Thirty-seven per cent of children spent less than half an hour a day playing outdoors after school, and 43% spent more than 2 hours a day watching TV, videos or playing computer games. Forty-eight per cent of children were allowed to walk on their own near where they lived. Children's independent mobility was significantly associated with outdoor play after adjusting for other confounders. Compared with those who were never allowed to walk on their own near where they lived, students who were allowed to walk on their own were significantly more likely to spend more than half an hour a day playing outdoors after school with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.6, 95% CI 1.84-3.58, P < 0.001.
The findings that a significant proportion of children spend less than half an hour a day playing outdoors after school and have excessive screen time have important implications for physical activity promotion and obesity prevention. The study also suggests that children's independent mobility should be considered in research and evaluation into children's play and physical activity. Environments that promote greater independent mobility in children may increase their physical activity levels and hence reduce their risk of overweight/obesity.
户外活动时间与身体活动呈正相关，并被认为是儿童身体活动的一个替代指标。儿童在身体活动和户外活动时间方面的独立性的作用尚未得到充分了解。本研究旨在评估儿童放学后在户外玩耍的时间，并探讨 10-12 岁儿童户外活动与独立性之间的关系。
儿童使用五日日记记录放学后在户外玩耍、看电视/视频或玩电脑游戏的时间，并报告他们是否被允许在自己居住的社区独自行走，以此作为他们独立活动能力的指标。家长接受了关于家庭人口统计学和邻里安全感知的调查。这些调查是在 2006 年底作为中央悉尼步行上学计划的一部分进行的，该计划涉及 24 所小学的 1975 名儿童及其家长。通过逻辑回归模型确定与户外活动时间相关的因素。
37%的儿童放学后每天在户外活动的时间少于半小时，43%的儿童每天看电视、视频或玩电脑游戏的时间超过 2 小时。48%的儿童被允许在自己居住的附近独自行走。在调整其他混杂因素后，儿童的独立活动能力与户外活动显著相关。与那些从未被允许在自己居住的附近独自行走的儿童相比，被允许独自行走的学生更有可能每天在户外活动半小时以上，调整后的优势比为 2.6，95%可信区间为 1.84-3.58，P<0.001。
研究发现，相当一部分儿童放学后每天在户外活动的时间少于半小时，且有大量的屏幕时间，这对促进身体活动和预防肥胖具有重要意义。该研究还表明，在研究和评估儿童游戏和身体活动时，应考虑儿童的独立活动能力。促进儿童更大独立性的环境可能会增加他们的身体活动水平，从而降低他们超重/肥胖的风险。
