Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Healthy Liveable Cities Group, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
J Epidemiol Community Health. 2020 Apr;74(4):321-329. doi: 10.1136/jech-2019-212686. Epub 2020 Jan 20.
Identification of features of the neighbourhood physical environment that have a causal association with positive child development is important for promoting long-term developmental health. Previous research on these associations have been conducted at the neighbourhood level, and do not account for individual variation in exposure to these features.
This cross-sectional study utilised de-identified linked administrative data. Neighbourhood features were measured with Geographic Information Systems and identified within a 1600 m service area around the child's home address. The study population included a random selection of 5024 Western Australian children who participated in the 2012 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC; median age 5 years, 5 months). Multi-level logistic regressions modelled the odds of children scoring in the bottom 10% on the physical, social or emotional AEDC domains as an outcome of neighbourhood features.
After adjustment for individual and neighbourhood sociodemographic factors, lower odds of physical vulnerability were associated with increased neighbourhood residential density, presence of railway station, and higher counts of playgroups and kindergartens. Larger areas of neighbourhood home-yard space were associated with increased odds of physical and social vulnerability. Presence of high-quality green spaces was associated with lower odds of social vulnerability. Increased road traffic exposure was associated with higher odds of social and emotional vulnerability.
The neighbourhood physical environment has a weak but significant association with early childhood development. Future research should consider the interplay between the neighbourhood environment and proximal influences, including parenting attributes and socioeconomic status, and how they influence early child development.
识别与儿童积极发展有因果关系的邻里物理环境特征对于促进长期发展健康非常重要。以前对这些关联的研究是在邻里层面进行的，并没有考虑到个体对这些特征的暴露差异。
本横断面研究利用了去识别的链接行政数据。使用地理信息系统测量邻里特征，并在儿童家庭住址周围 1600 米的服务区内确定。研究人群包括参加 2012 年澳大利亚早期发展普查（AEDC）的 5024 名随机选择的西澳大利亚儿童（中位数年龄为 5 岁 5 个月）。多水平逻辑回归模型将儿童在 AEDC 身体、社会或情感领域得分处于底部 10%的几率作为邻里特征的结果进行建模。
在调整个体和邻里社会人口因素后，身体脆弱性的几率较低与增加邻里居住密度、存在火车站以及增加游乐团体和幼儿园的数量有关。邻里家庭院空间较大与身体和社会脆弱性的几率增加有关。高质量绿地的存在与社会脆弱性的几率降低有关。道路交通暴露增加与社会和情感脆弱性的几率增加有关。
邻里物理环境与儿童早期发展有微弱但显著的关联。未来的研究应考虑邻里环境与近端影响之间的相互作用，包括育儿属性和社会经济地位，以及它们如何影响儿童早期发展。
