School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada.
Health Research Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 23;18(9):4481. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094481.
Children's independent mobility (CIM) is the freedom of children to move around their neighbourhood without adult supervision and is closely related to overall physical activity participation. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted movement behaviours for children, with evidence indicating a decrease in physical activity. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of CIM and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of children and their parents. We completed 21 family (at least one parent and one child aged 7-12) semi-structured interviews with 45 participants living in small urban and rural areas of British Columbia, Canada. Three themes were identified through a reflexive thematic analysis: (1) keeping everyone safe from COVID-19; (2) change in pattern and types of activity; (3) social impacts with family, friends, and community. Participants expressed a perceived increase in unstructured activity and a decrease in structured physical activity during the pandemic, which many parents viewed as a positive change. Parents and children indicated negative feelings due to spending less time with peers and reflected positively about spending more time with family. Parents and children expressed fear and anxiety in trying to keep their families safe from virus spread and creativity in adapting play behaviours. Findings highlight the impact of the pandemic on social friendship networks for families and a shift in activity patterns for children toward unstructured play.
儿童自主活动能力（CIM）是指儿童在没有成人监督的情况下在其居住的社区内自由活动的能力，与整体身体活动参与度密切相关。COVID-19 大流行影响了儿童的活动行为，有证据表明他们的身体活动量减少。本研究旨在从儿童及其父母的角度探讨 COVID-19 大流行期间的 CIM 和身体活动经验。我们在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省的小城乡地区完成了 21 个家庭（至少有一名父母和一名 7-12 岁的儿童）的半结构式访谈，共有 45 名参与者。通过反思性主题分析确定了三个主题：（1）使每个人免受 COVID-19 的侵害；（2）活动模式和类型的变化；（3）与家庭、朋友和社区的社会影响。参与者表示，在大流行期间，非结构化活动有所增加，结构化身体活动有所减少，许多父母认为这是一个积极的变化。父母和孩子表示，由于与同龄人相处的时间减少，他们感到负面情绪，并对与家人共度更多时间表示肯定。父母和孩子表示，在试图使家人免受病毒传播的影响时感到恐惧和焦虑，并在适应游戏行为方面表现出创造力。研究结果强调了大流行对家庭社交友谊网络的影响，以及儿童活动模式向非结构化游戏的转变。
