Tarun Samiksha, Arora Monika, Rawal Tina, Benjamin Neelon Sara E
Saint Louis University School of Medicine, 1402 South Grand Boulevard, St Louis, MO, 63104, USA.
Health Promotion and Tobacco Control, Public Health Foundation of India, Plot No. 47, Sector-44, Gurgaon, 122002, India.
BMC Public Health. 2017 Jan 5;17(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3987-8.
Increasing physical activity in children is an important public health goal in India. Schools may be a target for physical activity promotion, but little is known about outdoor school environments. The purpose of this study was to describe characteristics of the surrounding outdoor school environments that may promote children's physical activity in Delhi, India.
For this cross-sectional study, we conducted a structured observation of outdoor school environments in a random sample of 16 private schools in Delhi, India using the Sport, Physical activity and Eating behavior: Environmental Determinants in Young people (SPEEDY) audit tool. The SPEEDY school audit measured six categories, including (1) access to the school; (2) surrounding area; (3) school grounds; (4) aesthetics; (5) usage; and (6) overall environment. Six trained data collectors conducted the audit independently in the summer of 2012 while schools were in session.
Of the 16 schools, one had cycle lanes separated from the road while two schools had cycle lanes on the road. Two schools had pavement on both sides of the road for pedestrians. One school had marked pedestrian crossings. No schools had school warning signs, road safety signs, or route signs for cyclists that would help calm vehicular traffic. Fifteen schools had playground equipment and nine had courts, an assault course (a sequence of equipment designed to be used together), and a quadrangle (an enclosed or semi-enclosed courtyard) for outdoor physical activity. The majority of schools were shielded from the surrounding area by hedges, trees, or fences (n = 13) and were well maintained (n = 10). One school had evidence of vandalism. Two schools had graffiti, seven had litter, and 15 had murals or art.
The majority of schools did not have infrastructure to support physical activity, such as cycle lanes, marked pedestrian crossings, or traffic calming mechanisms such as school warning signs. However, most had playground equipment, courts, and outdoor play areas. Nearly all were free from vandalism and many had murals or art. These results provide preliminary data for future work examining outdoor school environments, active transport to school, and children's physical activity in India.
增加儿童的身体活动是印度一项重要的公共卫生目标。学校可能是促进身体活动的一个目标场所，但对于户外校园环境却知之甚少。本研究的目的是描述印度德里周边户外校园环境的特征，这些特征可能会促进儿童的身体活动。
在这项横断面研究中，我们使用青少年体育、身体活动与饮食行为：环境决定因素（SPEEDY）审计工具，对印度德里16所私立学校的随机样本中的户外校园环境进行了结构化观察。SPEEDY学校审计测量了六个类别，包括：（1）学校的可达性；（2）周边区域；（3）校园场地；（4）美观性；（5）使用情况；以及（6）整体环境。2012年夏天，六名经过培训的数据收集人员在学校上课期间独立进行了审计。
在这16所学校中，有一所学校设有与道路分开的自行车道，两所学校在道路上设有自行车道。两所学校在道路两侧设有行人道。一所学校设有明显的人行横道。没有学校设有学校警示标志、道路安全标志或自行车路线标志，这些标志有助于疏导车辆交通。15所学校有操场设备，9所学校有球场、一个障碍训练场（一系列设计用于一起使用的设备）和一个用于户外体育活动的四合院（一个封闭或半封闭的庭院）。大多数学校被树篱、树木或围栏与周边区域隔开（n = 13），并且维护良好（n = 10）。有一所学校有故意破坏的迹象。两所学校有涂鸦，七所学校有垃圾，15所学校有壁画或艺术作品。
大多数学校没有支持身体活动的基础设施，如自行车道、明显的人行横道或诸如学校警示标志等交通疏导机制。然而，大多数学校有操场设备、球场和户外游乐区。几乎所有学校都没有故意破坏行为，许多学校有壁画或艺术作品。这些结果为未来研究印度户外校园环境、积极的上学交通方式和儿童身体活动提供了初步数据。
