From: Systematic review of the correlates of outdoor play and time among children aged 3-12 years
Factors within SEM examined | Association | Consistency of association | Summary of evidence (consistent correlate (“+ +” or “– –”) is in bold) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Studies | Direction | Consistency (%) | Direction/ strength | ||
INDIVIDUAL (7 identified3/10 examined3) | |||||
Demographic | ‘ − ’ (3/4): Sex/gender (girls), Race/ethnicity (African Americans), immigration status (immigrated) | ||||
Age (results from 2 to 12 years only; including grade) | ∅ | 3/7 = 43% | ∅ | ||
+ | 2/7 = 29% | ||||
– | 2/7 = 29% | ||||
Sex/Gender (girls) | ∅ | 7/15 = 47% | −? | ||
[53]*; [54]* [75];*; [80]*; [87]*; [93]*; [123]*; [128]b:weekday | – | 8/15 = 53% | |||
Race/ethnicity (African American) | [87] (Caucasian/Hispanic)* | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Immigration status (immigrated) | [55]* | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Physical | ‘ − ’ (1/2): Weight status (overweight) | ||||
Weight status (overweight) | [101] | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Health status (healthy) | [69]* | ∅ | 5/7 = 71% | ∅∅ | |
Nasal congestion | [69]* | ∅ | |||
Asthma attacks | [69]* | ∅ | |||
Frequent swollen glands | [69]* | ∅ | |||
Diabetes | [69]* | ∅ | |||
Trouble sleeping | [69]* | – | 2/7 = 29% | ||
Feeling tired or having low energy | [69]* | – | |||
Behavioral/Temperament | ‘ + ’ (2/4): Physical activity levels, outdoor tendencies ‘ − ’ (1/4): Indoor tendencies | ||||
Physical activity levels | + | 2/2 = 100% | + | ||
Screen time | [128]b:weekend | ∅ | 1/3 = 33% | ∅ | |
[128]b:weekday for computer use | + | 1/3 = 33% | |||
[128]b:weekday for tv viewing | – | 1/3 = 33% | |||
Outdoor tendencies | [54] | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Indoor tendencies | [54] | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
PARENTAL (5 identified3/13 examined3) | |||||
Parental sociodemographic | ‘ + ’ (1/5): Parental education | ||||
Parental education | [75]* (father’s) | ∅ | 1/2 = 50% | +? | |
[98] | + | 1/2 = 50% | |||
Parent in workforce | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
SES/Household income | [75]* | ∅ | 1/3 = 33% | ∅ | |
[128] | + | 1/3 = 33% | |||
[55]* | – | 1/3 = 33% | |||
Car ownership | [98] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Home ownership | [98] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Parenting style/practice | ‘ − ’ (1/3): No adults to supervise active play outside after school | ||||
Rules and restrictions | [54] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Child must be supervised while playing outside | [54] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
No adults to supervise active play outside after school | [54] | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Parental psychological characteristics | |||||
Attitude | ‘ + ’ (2/4): Parental attitude towards nature, crime safetyb | ||||
Towards nature | [69]* | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Towards child’s outdoor recreation | [69]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Concerns | |||||
Traffic safety | [128] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Crime safety | [128]b:weekend | ∅ | 1/2 = 50% | +? | |
[128]b:weekday | + | 1/2 = 50% | |||
Parental support | ‘ + ’ (1/1): Parental encouragementc | ||||
Parental encouragement | [54]c:boys | ∅ | 1/2 = 50% | +? | |
[54]c:girls | + | 1/2 = 50% | |||
MICROSYSTEM DIMENSIONS (6 identified3/12 examined3) | |||||
Proximal social environment | ‘ + ’ (1/5): Social network | ||||
Total number of siblings | ∅ | 2/2 = 100% | ∅ | ||
Dog ownership | [54] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Social trust and cohesion | [73] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Social opportunities | [54] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Social network | [73] | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Proximal physical environment (Home) | ‘ + ’ (3/8): Housing type (detached), residential building characteristics, screen in child’s bedroomb ‘ − ’ (2/8): Residential building density, access to mediab | ||||
Housing type (detached) | [55]* | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Duration of residency | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Building characteristics | |||||
Number of stories in child’s residence building | [75]* | ∅ | 1/4 = 25% | +? | |
Living in a building with outdoor space | [75]* | + | 2/4 = 50% | ||
Lives in neighbourhood with dead-end | [75] | + | |||
Level of residence floor | [75] | – | 1/4 = 25% | ||
Density-Total building footprint area | [75] | – | 2/2 = 100% | – | |
Density-Gross building floor area | [75]* | – | |||
Access to media | [128]b:weekend | ∅ | 1/2 = 50% | −? | |
[128]b:weekday | – | 1/2 = 50% | |||
Yard size | [54] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Home PA opportunities | [54] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Screen in child’s bedroom | +? | ||||
Computer | [128] | ∅ | 3/5 = 60% | ||
TV | [128]b:weekend | ∅ | |||
Non hand-held video game player | [128]b:weekend | ∅ | |||
TV | [128]b:weekday | + | 2/5 = 40% | ||
Non hand-held video game player | [128]b:weekday | + | |||
INSTITUTIONAL (5 identified3/5 examined3) | |||||
Timing | ‘ + ’ (2/5): Time of the day (during school hours), % total vegetation in childcare center ‘ − ’ (3/5): Days of the week (weekdays), school-level SESb, Shade factor in childcare centre | ||||
Time of the day (school hours) | [56] (first hour after school)* | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Days of the week (weekdays) | [47] | ∅ | 1/2 = 50% | −? | |
[55]* | – | 1/2 = 50% | |||
Childcare/school Environment | |||||
School-level SES | [98]b:weekday | ∅ | 1/2 = 50% | −? | |
[98]b:weekend | – | 1/2 = 50% | |||
% total vegetation in childcare | [52] | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Shade factor in childcare | [52] | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Country membership of childcare centers | [70]* | Australia > Canada | |||
MACROSYSTEM DIMENSIONS/COMMUNITY (8 identified3/19 examined3) | |||||
Built Environment | ‘ + ’ (3/19): Size of the community (small), adjacent space, neighborhood safety ‘ − ’ (5/19): Residential area, mixed-use building area, under-construction area, street intersection density, gridiron street pattern | ||||
Size of the community (small) | [55]* | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Land-use (total footprint and gross floor areas) | |||||
Residential area | [75]* | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Commercial area | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Institutional building area | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Mixed-use building area | [75]* | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Under-construction area | [75]* | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Availability/accessibility | |||||
Adjacent space | [75] | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Local destinations | [54] | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Travel | |||||
Easy to walk | [73] | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
Street width | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Traffic volume | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Street capacity-street used mainly by pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Street capacity-Street used by all types of vehicles, except buses and trucks | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Street capacity-Street used by all types of vehicles | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Street intersection density | [75]* | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Unplanned street development | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Street pattern-spontaneous street pattern | [75]* | ∅ | 1/1 = 100% | ∅ | |
Street pattern-gridiron street pattern | [75]* | – | 1/1 = 100% | – | |
Neighbourhood safety | [75] | + | 1/1 = 100% | + | |
PHYSCIAL ECOLOGY/PRESSURE FOR MACROSYSTEM CHANGE (2 identified3/2 examined3) | |||||
Natural Environment | ‘ + ’ (1/2): Rurality ‘ − ’ (1/2): Seasonality | ||||
Seasonality (Fall/Winter) | [54] | ∅ | 1/4 = 25% | – | |
– | 3/4 = 75% | ||||
Rurality (vs suburban/urban) | [98] | ∅ | 1/5 = 20% | ++ | |
+ | 4/5 = 80% |