Where they live, how they play: Neighborhood greenness and outdoor physical activity among preschoolers.
Summary of "Where they live, how they play: Neighborhood greenness and outdoor physical activity among preschoolers."
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Emerging empirical evidence suggests exposure to "green" environments may encourage higher levels of physical activity among children. Few studies, however, have explored this association exclusively in pre-school aged children in the United States. We examined whether residing in neighborhoods with higher levels of greenness was associated with higher levels of outdoor physical activity among preschoolers. In addition, we also explored whether outdoor playing behaviors (e.g., active vs. quiet) were influenced by levels of neighborhood greenness independent of demographic and parental support factors.
RESULTS:
Higher levels of neighborhood greenness as measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was associated with higher levels of outdoor playing time among preschool-aged children in our sample. Specifically, a one unit increase in neighborhood greenness increased a child's outdoor playing time by approximately 3 minutes. A dose-response relationship was observed between increasing levels of parental support for physical activity (e.g., time spent playing with children) and child outdoor physical activity (p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS:
Consistent with previous studies, neighborhood greenness influences physical activity behavior. However, for preschoolers, parental involvement may be more critical for improving physical activity levels.
Affiliation
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: International journal of health geographics
ISSN: 1476-072X
Pages: 66
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22165919
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-072X-10-66
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Parking Facilities
Indoor or outdoor areas designated for the parking of vehicles.
Parasites
Invertebrate organisms that live on or in another organism (the host), and benefit at the expense of the other. Traditionally excluded from definition of parasites are pathogenic BACTERIA; FUNGI; VIRUSES; and PLANTS; though they may live parasitically.
Community Mental Health Centers
Facilities which administer the delivery of psychologic and psychiatric services to people living in a neighborhood or community.
Chlorophyta
A phylum of photosynthetic EUKARYOTA bearing double membrane-bound plastids containing chlorophyll a and b. They comprise the classical green algae, and represent over 7000 species that live in a variety of primarily aquatic habitats. Only about ten percent are marine species, most live in freshwater.
Hospitals, Community
Institutions with permanent facilities and organized medical staff which provide the full range of hospital services primarily to a neighborhood area.
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