Bates Bree, Stone Michelle R
School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health Professions, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health Professions, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
J Sci Med Sport. 2015 Sep;18(5):545-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2014.07.006. Epub 2014 Jul 24.
Declines in children's outdoor play have been documented globally, which are partly due to heightened restrictions around children's independent mobility. Literature on outdoor play and children's independent mobility is increasing, yet no paper has summarized the various methodological approaches used. A methodological review could highlight most commonly used measures and comprehensive research designs that could result in more standardized methodological approaches.
Methodological review.
A standardized protocol guided a methodological review of published research on measures of outdoor play and children's independent mobility in children and youth (0-18 years). Online searches of 8 electronic databases were conducted and studies included if they contained a subjective/objective measure of outdoor play or children's independent mobility. References of included articles were scanned to identify additional articles.
Twenty-four studies were included on outdoor play, and twenty-three on children's independent mobility. Study designs were diverse. Common objective measures included accelerometry, global positioning systems and direct observation; questionnaires, surveys and interviews were common subjective measures. Focus groups, activity logs, monitoring sheets, travel/activity diaries, behavioral maps and guided tours were also utilized. Questionnaires were used most frequently, yet few studies used the same questionnaire. Five studies employed comprehensive, mixed-methods designs.
Outdoor play and children's independent mobility have been measured using a wide variety of techniques, with only a few studies using similar methodologies. A standardized methodological approach does not exist. Future researchers should consider including both objective measures (accelerometry and global positioning systems) and subjective measures (questionnaires, activity logs, interviews), as more comprehensive designs will enhance understanding of each multidimensional construct. Creating a standardized methodological approach would improve study comparisons.
全球范围内已有文献记载儿童户外活动减少，部分原因是对儿童独立出行的限制增多。关于户外活动和儿童独立出行的文献不断增加，但尚无论文总结所采用的各种方法。方法学综述可以突出最常用的测量方法和全面的研究设计，从而形成更标准化的方法。
方法学综述。
采用标准化方案对已发表的关于儿童和青少年（0至18岁）户外活动测量及儿童独立出行的研究进行方法学综述。对8个电子数据库进行在线检索，纳入包含户外活动或儿童独立出行主观/客观测量的研究。对纳入文章的参考文献进行筛选以识别其他文章。
纳入了24项关于户外活动的研究和23项关于儿童独立出行的研究。研究设计多样。常见的客观测量方法包括加速度计、全球定位系统和直接观察；问卷、调查和访谈是常见的主观测量方法。还采用了焦点小组、活动日志、监测表、旅行/活动日记、行为地图和导览游等方法。问卷使用最为频繁，但很少有研究使用相同的问卷。5项研究采用了综合的混合方法设计。
已使用多种技术来测量户外活动和儿童独立出行，只有少数研究采用类似方法。不存在标准化的方法。未来的研究人员应考虑同时纳入客观测量方法（加速度计和全球定位系统）和主观测量方法（问卷、活动日志、访谈），因为更全面的设计将增进对每个多维概念的理解。创建标准化的方法将改善研究之间的比较。
