Department of Public Health Science, Faculty of Landscape and Society, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, NO-1432, Ås, Norway.
The Centre for Evidence-Based Public Health, A Joanna Briggs Institutes Affiliated Group, Ås, Norway.
BMC Public Health. 2019 Oct 30;19(1):1426. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7795-9.
A rapidly growing body of research suggests that qualities of the built environment can promote active living among children and youth. Nevertheless, shortcomings in the current evidence for understanding which built environment characteristics provide opportunities for taking part in activities in childhood remain. This study aimed to examine whether population density, green spaces, and facilities/amenities are associated with participation in leisure-time physical activity (PA), organized activities, and social activities with friends and peers in Norwegian 8-year-olds.
Data from a sample of 23,043 children from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) were linked with geospatial data about the built environment. The questionnaire data reported by mothers provided information on the children's leisure activities. We computed exposure to neighborhood population density and access to green spaces and facilities/amenities within 800- and 5000-m radii of the participants' home addresses using geographic information systems. Associations were estimated using logistic regression models.
We found beneficial associations between having a park within 800-m and more leisure-time PA during the summer. Furthermore, children living in neighborhoods with higher proportions of green space participated in more PA during the winter. More densely populated areas and access to facilities were associated with participation in organized and social activities. Specifically, we observed that more playgrounds/sport fields in the neighborhood were the strongest and most consistent correlate of activity participation in Norwegian 8-year-olds by being related to more socialization with friends and peers.
This population-based study underscores the importance of access to a variety of venues and opportunities for different activities in the immediate neighborhood surroundings and in the greater community to support participation in physical activity and organized and social activities in childhood.
越来越多的研究表明，建筑环境的质量可以促进儿童和青少年的积极生活。然而，目前对于理解哪些建筑环境特征为儿童参与活动提供了机会的证据仍然存在不足。本研究旨在检验人口密度、绿地和设施/便利设施是否与挪威 8 岁儿童的闲暇时间体育活动（PA）、组织活动以及与朋友和同伴的社交活动有关。
本研究的数据来自挪威母亲和儿童队列研究（MoBa）的 23043 名儿童的样本，这些数据与关于建筑环境的地理空间数据相关联。母亲们报告的问卷调查数据提供了有关儿童休闲活动的信息。我们使用地理信息系统计算了参与者家庭地址 800 米和 5000 米半径范围内的邻里人口密度和绿地以及设施/便利设施的暴露情况。使用逻辑回归模型估计关联。
我们发现，在 800 米范围内有公园与夏季更多闲暇时间 PA 之间存在有益的关联。此外，居住在绿地比例较高的社区中的儿童在冬季参与的 PA 更多。人口密度较高的地区和设施可达性与组织和社交活动的参与有关。具体而言，我们观察到，邻里内有更多的游乐场/运动场与与朋友和同伴的社交活动更多有关，这是与活动参与度最密切和最一致的相关因素。
这项基于人群的研究强调了在儿童的邻近环境和更广泛的社区中获得各种活动场所和机会的重要性，以支持儿童参与体育活动以及组织和社交活动。
